Art and culture are the greatest weapons against hate agendas, entrenched ideologies, and power structures that harbor and promote the business of divisiveness.
— Fantastic Negrito
Doing a concert, I look at a room full of different people, and I see you've got Muslims, you've got Jews, you've got Christians, you've got gays, you've got straights, you've got blacks, you've got whites. I think, 'How can I unite these people through song?'
I like being photographed without glasses. I don't want to be pretentious.
The one thing I had pure in my life was creativity.
I thought my story was over. But that was when I realised I finally had a story to tell - and it seems to remind people of their own story.
My dad was a strict Muslim. He had a lot of rules.
Jimmy Iovine signed me personally to a million-dollar contract, and I lost my identity for a long time. That system is so predicated on making a hit, or you're out of here.
Just keep being yourself. Keep being yourself, and people recognize it.
I write songs. I perform. I play the guitar. I play the keyboard.
I knew I was an exhibitionist. I came from a huge family. I found an emotional connection being on stage.
I fear for the lives of my daughters. I am uncertain about what kind of future they will face.
I'm not interested in re-creating the same blues I love so much. I'm interested in pushing boundaries.
'The Duffler' is a very familiar story, a story about someone having something and not appreciating it until it's gone, when it's too late.
I think that was always my strength. I was never a great player, but I could write.
I hitchhiked to L.A. with $100 and a keyboard.
Fantastic Negrito is a persona, an incarnation in my third phase.
I was raised on African music, Harry Belafonte, and the Boston Pops. Then I got a dose of soul and hip-hop. I related to it immediately.
There's certain artists that are meant to have certain paths and go the way of the corporate world. And then there are artists who are artists.
Prince was a hero. He was the brother, the black man that was a little different. As a kid, you thought, 'Wow, he's different. If he can do it, I can do it.' I read that he was self-taught, so I started teaching myself to play the piano.
I had a dream, as young people have quite idealistic dreams and goals, of, 'I'm going to go to Los Angeles, and I'm going to become a star!' I did get this huge record deal, and I recorded this music under Xavier. That didn't really work out.
I came up with the album name 'Please Don't Be Dead' because I felt like we'd lost our way as a society - and I know what happens when you chase the wrong things. It's the story of my life.
That makes me very happy as a human being to know what I'm doing is an inspiration to people.
Growing up in the neighborhoods I did in Oakland, you don't know the Beatles, but I started learning their songs.
I really loved the hardcore alternative vibe Prince had on 'Dirty Mind.'
As long as we have have predatory capitalism, we'll have guns because the gun industry loves to make money out of guns.
If I can't be honest with music, forget it.
My dad was born in 1905, and the men from that period were real men. He prepared me for the world.
That's always the time to quit - when you have nothing to say as an artist and creative person.
What I decided was I'd be happier not being in the confines of a corporate infrastructure producing music. That's when I was free, and it opened up the door to have a different personality and incarnations. That's really when I had success in my music life. I was able to license my music.
