We much appreciate the artistic personality known as Fantastic Negrito who offered his services to perform at the Laney College 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Black Arts Movement 2015. A scheduling conflict didn't allow him to perform, but since then we had the pleasure of meeting him. We found him a humble person, and he agreed to support our long planned 27 City Tour of Black Arts Movement icons. Finally, I heard his music and was blown away by his neo-blues, spiritual, black classical music style. We will soon write a review o his music.
Marvin X Notes on Fantastic Negrito
On Monday, July 3, we were blessed to finally hear Fantastic Negro live. The occasion was a video shoot in West Oakland at the Revolution Cafe, near 7th And Parelta, maybe a few yards from where the old Lincoln Theatre used to be back in the day, actually, across the street from where I grew up on 7th and Campbell in the back of my parent's florist shop. The Lincoln was a black theatre that showed black films along with the white supremacy hollywood variety.
The video shoot was in a yard adjacent to Revolution, a multi-cultural venue in gentrified West Oakland, formerly Hedarlem of the West. Fantastic wanted to do the shoot at this venue because he liked the ambiance, the artwork behind the stage. We arrived early white the film crew was setting up and the band practicing and the sound check. Eventually, as the band practiced, Fantastic Negrito appeared and took command.He went through several song with the band.
He is a blues singer and guitar player. Looks a little like Chuck Berry and we say his stage moves are from Chuck Berry along with his guitar playing. Yet Fantastic Negrito comes from deep down in the Blues' well. Deep in the Black Christian Church tradition as well. We heard some Holy Ghost sounds, yes, we think deeper than Baptist!
But the lyrics are special into the now. Even though the psycho-linguistics of the Bllues has been studied for its rawness, and the Black Arts Movement as well, he was clearly in the new now with a blues lyric saying Stop the Bullshit, Come with some Good Shit!
The lyrics from that song were enough for me, you know senior citizens go to bed early. After The Movement Newspaper photographer arrived, he photographed the event and we departed.
Again, Fantastic Negrito has a new sound and lyrics that cross lines, racial, musical; any human being will move to his music and lyrics. Even Marvin X.
Fantastic Negrito is off to Norway in the morning, so we are thankful, especially so, that we caught him in our home turf of West Oakland.
--Marvin X, Publisher, The Movement, Voice of the Black Arts Movement International