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USL Oakland Roots

Oakland's Own Fantastic Negrito and Oakland Roots Sports Club Release New Town Anthem "Root City"

April 30, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Oakland Roots News Release


Oakland, CA - Grammy award winning artist Fantastic Negrito and Oakland Roots have collaborated on the release of "Root City", a tribute to the Town and the club's new Official Anthem.

The Roots' Purpose is "to harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good," and few artists encapsulate the magic of the Town more than Fantastic Negrito, whose latest album Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? Won him his third "Best Contemporary Blues Album" award at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in March 2021.

"Soccer is the most watched sport around the world. Working on this anthem with Oakland Roots felt right because we are part of an international community that appreciates the sport and a local community that includes people from so many different cultures," said Negrito. "It's exciting to release this song on Storefront Records, my own record label, and contribute a distinctly Oakland flavor to this global passtime."

"Root City" was born from the Roots' 2020 Justice Match, a soccer match created to promote racial and gender equity that was driven by the club's response to the protests for racial justice that swept the country following the continued police killings of unarmed people of color. Fantastic Negrito wrote the song specifically to be played before the match and helped raise funds for the Oakland Roots Justice Fund, which supports causes at the intersection of race and gender justice.

The video for the song was filmed at iconic locations around Oakland and connects to the "roots" of the Town. The single and video are available at all digital service providers now and will be played at Laney College Stadium before every home match during the 2021 USL Championship season.

"For the Roots, soccer is more than just sport. It's about art, culture, diversity, creativity and challenging the status quo. And I can't think of anyone who brings all those qualities together with an Oakland flavor better than Fantastic Negrito," said Roots co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer Edreece Arghandiwal. "He's a true original, he's Oakland through and through and he's a champion - everything we aspire to be as a club."

Fantastic Negrito and Roots Technical Director Jordan Ferrell will be on Instagram Live talking about the intersection of music and sports. Make sure to tune in at 2pm today.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 30, 2021


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