Fantastic Negrito, the musical persona of Xavier Dphrepaulezz, has long captivated listeners with his personal lyrics and blend of blues, rock, and soul. On his sixth album, Son of a Broken Man, he dives even deeper into personal territory, tackling themes of betrayal, trauma, and ultimately, self-love.
Never one to shy away from difficult topics, Fantastic Negrito's albums touch on various pain points in his life: mental illness, race and ancestry, the gentrification of his hometown, and being in a coma after a life-threatening accident. This new album is his most intimately personal work, drawing from his strained relationship with his father. Dphrepaulezz confronts painful memories with a rawness that’s both haunting and relatable.
The theme of betrayal is central to the album. Dphrepaulezz reveals how his father created a fabricated identity complete with a fake Somali accent before ultimately severing ties when Xavier was just 12 years old. His father kicked him out of the house, forcing him to live on the streets before landing in the foster care system. He was still living there when his dad died, ending any chance of reconciliation or explanation. These experiences fuel the album’s scathing lyrics, each line a cathartic release of pent-up emotion.
Son of a Broken Man starts with an intro track of people being asked, “Who was the first person to betray you?” That leads into the scathing and guitar-heavy “Runaway From You,” with lyrics like “I wanna run away from you because you treat me so bad.”
“Living with Strangers” chronicles his troubled life in the foster care system while "Devil in My Pocket" explains how his early trauma still affects him in relationships today. There are tender moments like the soulful, R&B-infused "I Hope Somebody’s Loving You," along with straight-driving blues beats in "Crooked Road."
"Skirty" is a funky standout on the album. The signature fuzzy guitar is lightened by bluesy piano with lyrics that state: "The first person that betrayed me was my daddy / Had me at 63, my momma was 30.”
Son of a Broken Man is a fully therapeutic album about the dysfunction of a father-son relationship that also carries a message of healing. As Dphrepaulezz navigates his pain, he ultimately embraces self-love, a theme that resonates throughout the album.
Must listens
- "I Hope Somebody's Loving You"
- "Skirty"
- "Living With Strangers"
- "Devil In My Pocket"
- "Crooked Road"
- "This Little Light of Mine"
