Oakland Musician Fantastic Negrito to Move Recording Studio to Historic San Pablo Corridor

The Grammy award winning artist will sign a lease with EBALDC, taking over the former Blue Bird Market liquor store in Oakland

OAKLAND, CA – March 26, 2018 – In partnership with East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), Oakland-based Grammy-winner Fantastic Negrito is moving his studio and creative collective Blackball Universe to a new location in the San Pablo Avenue Corridor neighborhood of West Oakland.

“Last year, we won a Grammy and this year we lost our lease,” said Fantastic Negrito. “That’s the story of being an artist in Oakland today. But when people come together and make it a priority, we can find ways to preserve the culture that made this city what it is. I am grateful to EBALDC for providing a space that I love, in a community that shaped my music and my message.”

The Oakland-raised musician won NPR’s inaugural Tiny Desk Contest in 2015, and the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues album in 2017 for his debut full-length album The Last Days of Oakland. He has performed with Sturgill Simpson, Solange, Chris Cornell and Temple of the Dog. After Blackball Universe lost their lease at their former space, EBALDC was able to provide Fantastic Negrito and the collective the former Blue Bird Market space on San Pablo Avenue in the heart of the San Pablo Avenue Corridor. EBALDC was able to take ownership of the liquor store with funds from an anonymous donor to The San Francisco Foundation as part of its work through the San Pablo Area Revitalization Collaborative (SPARC), a cross-sector partnership that seeks to achieve better outcomes for residents in the neighborhood by aligning efforts, building on neighborhood assets, and pooling resources.

“We are deeply honored to provide Fantastic Negrito and Blackball Universe their new home along the Corridor,” said Romi Hall, EBALDC’s associate director of neighborhood collaborations. “Transforming a former liquor store into a place where a renowned Oakland-based artist can create music while re-engaging the community in its musical heritage is a sign of more to come for the vibrant neighborhood.”

With the neighborhoods’ help in determining priorities, EBALDC and SPARC members have identified actions to implement to improve the health of the neighborhood and return it to a place where residents have the opportunity to live, learn, work, and play. Over the next five years the Collaborative will build on neighborhood assets and work together to improve health outcomes for residents, increase resident participation and leadership, reduce blight and improve streets, parks and abandoned land, increase the number of affordable housing units,
create a thriving main street atmosphere on the San Pablo Avenue Corridor, establish local opportunities for residents to get well-paying jobs and more.