Wichita, Kansas Hip-hop recording artist “Freddy High,” born Frederick Hightower III, has loved rap and R&B music since he was young. Growing up listening to Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, OutKast and Jay-Z — it wasn’t until 1998, when the latter released his classic album “Volume 2… Hard Knock Life,” that Freddy fell in love with the culture and knew he wanted to create rap music of his own.
Freddy began recording his own vocals with the help of a built-in microphone on the computer his father had gifted him, while using a cassette tape to play the beat in the background. Freddy recorded at his first professional studio at age 15. It was at this studio where he met his peer and future Wichita rap sensation, XV, in 2003. Since then, Freddy and XV became close friends and often work on music together — including a handful of features on XV projects as well as a group mixtape, “Squarians Vol. 1,” in 2012. Freddy is a member of the L7/Squarian movement made up of himself, XV, Sez Batters and others.
To local acclaim, Freddy released his debut album, “Everywhere I Go,” in March of 2017. Some standout tracks from the album, including its title track, “DNIWER,” “Training Day,” and “80’s Baby,” have received regional attention, as well, having been featured on multiple iTunes podcasts from a local “We Are Wichita” podcast, to the “3-point conversion” station out of Atlanta, GA. “Bat Signal,” a song of XV’s featuring Freddy High and Sez Batters, received airplay on “Crimes & Treasons” – a Hip-hop radio show based out of Vancouver, Canada. A number of songs from ‘The Section’ have been reviewed and featured on various podcasts and twitch streams since the project was released in December of 2020.
Also a gifted athlete, Freddy earned a football scholarship and played running back in college. His long-term involvement in sports helped Freddy understand the importance of hard work, determination, dedication and teamwork. He’s applied these important fundamentals into his music approach, as he’s constantly working to hone his craft and improve upon his skill set — both in song writing and live performances.
In the brief time since deciding to make a living off his art, Freddy has released his debut album and multiple other projects with videos, created his own website, formed his own LLC, set up his own publishing and is taking care of his own business — including investing time into perfecting his stage presence and enhancing the experience for his viewers. He’s also been highly involved in the making of his music videos, available on YouTube.
The majority of 2020 saw Freddy working on ‘The Section‘, which was released on December 11th of that same year, along with accompanying music videos, and the release of select apparel items from his signature Freddy High Collection. The Section takes listeners on a journey through High’s ‘section’ — the place he grew up and still calls home today — via an impressive range of song styles showcasing Freddy’s growth, strength, and versatility as an MC and songwriter. The Section is hands-down his best work to date, and really allows the listener to catch a sample of the life and times of the man behind the music, in an authentic way. Since the release of ‘The Section‘, Freddy has been hard at work on a new album. The first single (“WHOA”) has already dropped, with more singles and videos scheduled to drop leading up to the main release, which is expected in the Fall of 2022.
