Hey OutSideLands fans
The View Crew was at OSL waiting to see Fantastic Negtrito, but in a dust up over wristband sales, Fantastic was cancelled from the line up. A makeup show was promised at the time and here it is. Read the details below and head to SF tonight.
In partnership with Outside Lands, Fantastic Negrito is playing a new make-up show back home in San Francisco September 11 @ The Independent. This week he’s on the cover of SF Weekly in a story following him from his busking days to now. You can check out the full feature HERE.
Since winning NPR Music’s first-ever “Tiny Desk Concert Contest,” he’s had tremendous support. The deluxe version of his EP was just released, of which The Washington Post says “…is full of raw vocals and self-assessing lyrics.” It includes a studio version of the winning song “Lost in a Crowd,” for which we shared the video with you last week (http://bit.ly/1Dy4iQB
The Oakland native was the cover portrait of East Bay Express’ “Best of the East Bay” issue and the Village Voice says “There is no bitterness in the way Dphrepaulezz tells his story; there’s nothing but celebration of a life, and the blues is his weapon of choice because he believes it is the music of truth.”
Of his live performance, The Boston Globe says “Negrito [is] the total performer….His engagement with the crowd was sprinkled with humor and personality throughout.”
FANTASTIC NEGRITO’S DELUXE EP OUT NOW ON BLACKBALL UNIVERSE
ON TOUR NOW
“Almost overnight, the singer-songwriter became an international sensation.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“His recent EP, ‘Fantastic Negrito,’ is full of raw vocals and self-assessing lyrics.”—The Washington Post
“…exceeds the hype.”—Austin American-Statesman
“Xavier drew a huge reaction from the music fans…Even though most listeners had shown up just to hear free music or catch one of the headlining acts, many walked away newly minted Fantastic Negrito fans.”—San Jose Mercury News
“There is no bitterness in the way Dphrepaulezz tells his story; there’s nothing but celebration of a life, and the blues is his weapon of choice because he believes it is the music of truth.”—Village Voice
“Trust Us, These Bands At SXSW Are About To Blow Up”—Wired
“Fantastic Negrito lived up to his moniker…from the minute they went into their first actual song, neither he nor the three-piece behind him let up.”—Consequence of Sound
“He wrapped the crowd in an intimate embrace of delta blues, gospel rock and folklore…impressing everyone within earshot.”—San Francisco Weekly
“Fantastic Negrito’s music is devoid of glamor; over stomping drums and bluesy riffs, Dphrepaulezz howls deadpan lyrics about believing in yourself and fighting your demons.”—KQED
“His voice is raspy and wounded and euphoric, all at the same time.”—WBUR
Fantastic Negrito’s Deluxe EP is available worldwide on Blackball Universe. The EP features the studio version of “Lost in a Crowd”—the song for which his live performance earned him the title of NPR Music’s first-ever “Tiny Desk Concert Contest
To celebrate the release, Fantastic Negrito is on tour now with a festival performance at Outside Lands on August 8. Check out the official video for “Lost in a Crowd” HERE
Fantastic Negrito is a musical reincarnation for Xavier Dphrepaulezz (pronounced Dee-FREP-ah-lez).Raised as the eighth of 15 children in an orthodox Muslim household in rural Massachusetts, Dphrepaulezz moved as a teenager in the ‘80s with his family to the heart of urban Oakland, California. He quickly evolved from strict religion to the music of Funkadelic and by the age of 20, he taught himself to play just about every instrument he came across. In the ‘90s, he signed a multi-million dollar deal with Interscope Records performing under his first name Xavier yet found the experience creatively draining and told the San Francisco Chronicle that he “lost his identity for a time.”
Dphrepaulezz’s life changed drastically when he was involved in a near death car accident resulting in a three-week coma, followed by intensive physical rehabilitation with his guitar playing hand permanently incapacitated. Following the accident, he sought to live his life more simply. He settled down, had a son and lived in Oakland raising chickens and growing his own vegetables. This quieter time spawned a powerful creative energy, and after a five-year hiatus, Dphrepaulezz created Fantastic Negrito. Inspired by all American music, most especially Delta bluesmen such as R.L Burnside and Skip James, he sought to modernize his compositions by sampling and looping his own live recordings. He told NPR that the name is “a celebration of blackness. The ‘Fantastic’ is self-explanatory; the ‘Negrito’ is a way to open blackness up to everyone, making it playful and international.”
For more information, please contact Samantha Tillman and Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, samantha.tillman@sacksco.com
