Fantastic Negrito, aka Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is coming to Cagliari. On July 3rd, the first stop on his national tour, he will bring his energy of blues, funk, rock, and the expressive urgency of today's hip hop to the stage at the Lazzaretto.

"I grew up listening to all kinds of music, but mostly surrounded by human struggles, celebrations, survival, and storytelling," he says. "For me, music has never been about gender. Blues is the root, but all these other styles are branches of the same tree. Hip hop, rock and roll, funk, country. They all come from people trying to express something authentic. I think my contribution is my life experience with a punk aesthetic."

The eclectic American artist is the featured guest at Vibes in Black, a day-long event organized by Vox Day, under the artistic direction of Davide Catinari, celebrating African-American culture through music, meetings and performances, live painting, narrative focuses on street art, and photography exhibitions on urban art from the 1960s to the present. "The blues taught me that truth lies in imperfection. The blues isn't about technical perfection," he emphasizes, "it's about emotional honesty. It's a life journey, and I'm still learning." He then adds: "Don't try to pigeonhole it. For artists, whatever you do, it's better when you feel it. When it's authentic, you can connect. It doesn't matter what you call it." He focuses on the artists who have had the greatest impact on his musical development.

All the greats. From Robert Johnson to the masters of English rock, from Sly Stone to Radiohead, from Prince to Kendrick Lamar. I love the greats. People who dared. People who made the world a little uncomfortable.

As for the Italian music scene: "I'm a huge fan of Bob Angelini, the entire Propaganda Live studio band, and Il Muro del Canto." For him, Sardinia is a return. "I've had the opportunity to come a couple of times; it's a wonderful place with interesting, energetic people and extraordinary cuisine." There's anticipation in Cagliari for his live show. "I'll probably open the concert with 'A Boy Named Andrew,' a song from my album Please Don't Be Dead. It's a song that transports me to a very colorful, energetic, and slightly mystical place. Something very distant, yet so familiar. It's a melody that seems as old as time."