Fantastic Negrito’s life has been a series of reinventions.
In the '90s, he signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Interscope Records as the R&B singer Xavier. He then was in a near-fatal car wreck that crippled his right hand and left him in a coma for four weeks. Following his recovery, he left the music business and invested in a cannabis farm in Oakland, Calif.
After starting a family, he felt drawn back to music, but this time he would do it on his own terms. He started by busking at Bay Area train stations. It was there that he met the person who convinced him to apply for the first ever NPR Tiny Desk contest in 2015, which he won, and it was then that he chose his new persona: Fantastic Negrito.
Since then, he has released seven albums and won three Grammy awards for Best Contemporary Blues Album. His most recent release Son of a Broken Man came in 2024, and he has a live album scheduled for release in the summer of 2026.
Listen to this remarkable five-song performance from the KNKX studios and enjoy a Fantastic Negrito mini-album created on the spot and in the moment.
Musicians:
- Xavier Dphrepaulezz - vocals, piano
- Bryan Simmons - keyboards, backing vocals
- Vincent Maclauchlan - guitar
- Uriah Duffy - bass, backing vocals
- Brian Braziel - drums
Songs:
- Beat Salad
- Your Sex is Overrated
- California Loner
- Computers
- Plastic Hamburgers
