Fantastic Negrito Rocks Chicago

by Roman Sobus

Fantastic Negrito Brings His Unique Energy to Chicago - Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts - University of Chicago - April 11, 2026

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, aka Fantastic Negrito, in concert again. Seeing him perform at an intimate venue like the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago made the experience even more special.

Xavier is a highly talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, as well as a three-time Grammy winner in the "Best Contemporary Blues Album" category: Last Days of Oakland (2016), Please Don't Be Dead (2019), and Have You Lost Your Mind, Yet? (2021). Despite these accolades in the blues category, his music resists being easily pigeonholed into a single genre. While he draws heavily from the blues, his songs also reflect strong R&B, funk, rock, and roots influences-what he describes as "Black roots music for everyone."

After a brief introduction by Chicago bluesman Matthew Skoller, the band launched into what became an hour-plus set of powerful music, occasionally interwoven with background stories. They opened with "A Boy Named Andrew," followed in quick succession by "Scary Woman" and "Hillbilly Love." "Chocolate Samurai" proved to be a crowd favorite, while a rendition of Lead Belly's "In the Pines" offered a nod to the early days of the blues.

Fantastic Negrito delivered an evening of compelling musical entertainment drawn from across his catalog, while also sharing stories of his difficult childhood as one of 15 children in an immigrant family, his experiences with addiction, and his struggles with life on the streets. He moved dynamically across the stage throughout the set-from microphone to guitar to piano-while his band remained more stationary, providing a steady backdrop, though they loosened up toward the end of the 18-song set.

As the performance came to a close, it was clear that Fantastic Negrito had accomplished what he set out to do: reach an audience spanning generations and deliver a powerful, deeply personal musical experience.