If the ad execs over at Dos Equis ever want to recast their famous “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign, they need look no further than Xavier Dphrepaulezz, aka Oakland-based bluesman and NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” contest-winner Fantastic Negrito. From his childhood (in and out of foster care) as one of eight siblings, to his stints as an Interscope Records signing, illegal nightclub owner, and medical marijuana farmer, Dphrepaulezz has done and seen it all – and his life experience seeps its way into his raw and gritty roots music. Dphrepaulezz had a rough upbringing, leaving home at age 12, but it looked like his life was about to turn around when he moved to Los Angeles in the ‘90s and was soon discovered by Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine while gigging in a band called Dead From Sex.
