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Aloe Blacc | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Aloe Blacc in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (1979-01-07)January 7, 1979 (age 46) Laguna Hills, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Works | Aloe Blacc discography |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels |
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| Member of | Emanon |
Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979),[1] known professionally asAloe Blacc (/ˈæloʊˈblæk/ ⓘ), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He is known for his guest performance onAvicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up", which peaked on the charts in 22 countries, including inAustralia and theUK. As a lead artist, he is known for his singles "I Need a Dollar" and "The Man", the latter of which topped theUK Singles Chart.[2][3][4] Aside from his solo career, Aloe Blacc is also a member of the hip hop duoEmanon, alongside American record producerExile.
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III was born on January 7, 1979, inOrange County, California, toPanamanian parents.[5] Growing up inLaguna Hills,[6] he began playing a rented trumpet in third grade. When it made more sense to buy the instrument, Dawkins had what he later described as a "very specific moment" in his evolution as a musician: "It forced me to be serious about it. I couldn't just do it to get out of the classroom", he said in a 2010 interview. His exposure toLL Cool J in fourth grade was equally significant. "It wasn't too far off from the trumpet moment...I had a hip hop moment and a musician moment".[7]
A Renaissance Scholar at theUniversity of Southern California, Dawkins majored inlinguistics andpsychology and graduated in 2001. He worked briefly in the corporate sector forErnst & Young.[6][8]
In 1995, Aloe Blacc teamed with hip hop producerExile and formedEmanon—"no name" backwards—which was inspired by the title of theDizzy Gillespie song "Emanon".[7] Withbreakbeat loops and jazz samples, Emanon became a mainstay of the indie rap underground and released their first mixtape in 1996, followed by the EPAcid 9 in 1999.[8][9] They subsequently published six projects: the demo albumImaginary Friends (1996), a compilation calledSteps Through Time (2001), the albumsThe Waiting Room (2005) andDystopia (2016), and the EPsAcid 9 (1998) andAnon & On (2002). A fourth album,Bird's Eye View, was recorded but shelved.[citation needed] While Emanon was Aloe Blacc's primary project during this period, he additionally toured and recorded with the members of the collective Lootpack and worked with the French jazz group Jazz Liberatorz.[10]
Emanon appeared as contestants on a 1998 episode ofMTV'sThe Cut.[11]
Aloe Blacc launched his career as a solo artist in 2003, releasing two EPs and signing toStones Throw Records in 2006, after label headChris Manak heard him sing and immediately offered him a contract for the 2006 full-lengthShine Through.[8] By then, Aloe Blacc had become more focused on songwriting, a change inspired in part by his social consciousness: "I was uncomfortable with the state of hip hop being largely about the expression of ego. I wondered how I could be more crafty at writing songs in the form of a rap that actually expressed more than ego, style and finesse," he stated. "I figured I would educate myself to learn more about songwriting and apply that later to hip hop."[7]
Shine Through was Aloe Blacc's first full-length album and was released in 2006. It received significant media attention in the U.S. and abroad.Pitchfork wrote thatShine Through had "flashes of keen musical interpolation" and signaled "some sort of greatness",[12]NPR named the track "Nascimento" as song of the day, andAbsolute Punk noted thatShine Through flows beautifully from one track to the next, infusing old-school funk and soul with a modern essence that makes it incredibly unique.[13][14]
Also in 2009, while working on his second album, Aloe Blacc toured Europe and the United States with Emanon and collaborated with the Japanese hip hop producerCradle on a project called Bee.[15]
In 2006, Aloe Blacc attended Melbourne'sRed Bull Music Academy.[16]
In 2010, Aloe Blacc releasedGood Things on Stones Throw Records. A commercial success, the album was certified gold in the UK, France, Germany, and Australia, among other countries, and ultimately hit double platinum sales. The single "I Need A Dollar", which was used as the theme song to theHBO seriesHow to Make It in America,[17] reached one million in sales in 2013. Two additional singles, "Loving You Is Killing Me" and "Green Lights", became European hits as well.[18]Good Things was praised by the media, receiving positive reviews in theLos Angeles Times,The New York Times,Spin,NME, andEntertainment Weekly, among others.[17][19][20][21][22] Shortly after the release of the record, Aloe Blacc signed withSimon Fuller's XIX Management.[23]
In 2011, Aloe Blacc contributed a track to the albumRed Hot + Rio 2, a follow-up to the 1996Red Hot + Rio, with all proceeds donated to raise money and awareness to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues. That year, he performed on the main stages at major festivals such asGlastonbury andFalls Festival in Australia with his primary touring band, the Grand Scheme. In 2012, he appeared at theNorth Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam,Lollapalooza in Chicago, andOsheaga in Montreal.[24][25]
In 2012, Aloe Blacc contributed vocals to the debut album by the French music projectRoseaux, established by Emile Omar.
Aloe Blacc was introduced to Swedish DJAvicii byLinkin Park's co-vocalistMike Shinoda. As a result, in 2013, Aloe Blacc co-wrote the song "Wake Me Up" with Avicii.[2] With Aloe Blacc on vocals, the song reached #1 in 103 countries and became the fastest-selling single in the UK, with 267,000 copies sold in its first week.[26] He also collaborated with Avicii on a track called "Liar Liar" that featuredBlondfire. In September of that year, Aloe Blacc signed withInterscope Records[27] and released an EP, titledWake Me Up. The five-track album included the songs "Love Is the Answer", "Can You Do This", and "Ticking Bomb", as well as an acoustic version of "Wake Me Up".[28] "Ticking Bomb" was used as the background music in aBattlefield 4 TV ad, and "The Man" appeared inBeats by Dr. Dre commercials featuringKevin Garnett,Colin Kaepernick,Richard Sherman, andCesc Fàbregas.
In October 2013, Aloe Blacc released a music video for the track "Wake Me Up", in collaboration with the immigrant rights groupNational Day Laborer Organizing Network and the ABC* Foundation's Healing Power of Music Initiative. The director wasAlex Rivera,[29][30] and the cast consisted of immigrant activists.[31][32]
Aloe Blacc's Interscope/XIX debut,Lift Your Spirit, was released in November 2013 and featured production byPharrell,DJ Khalil, and songwriter Harold Lilly, among others.[33] In the UK, he helped promote his album by performing tracks from it onLater... with Jools Holland.[34]
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Aloe Blacc features on the song "The World Is Ours", fromOne Love, One Rhythm, a compilation album released for the2014 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil in June and July 2014.[35]
Also in 2014, it was announced that Aloe Blacc would be the guest advisor forAdam Levine's team onseason 6 ofThe Voice.[36]
On May 5, 2015, a sneak peek ofOwl City's single "Verge", featuring Aloe Blacc, aired onESPN'sDraft Academy. The song was released on May 14.[37]
In February 2016, Aloe Blacc announced his contribution to the filmRace, a song called "Let the Games Begin".
In 2016, Exile and Aloe Blacc released their first album as Emanon since 2005, titledDystopia, which features guest rappersBlu and Cashus King.[38][39]
In 2017, Aloe Blacc provided vocals for theTiësto song "Carry You Home".[40]
On May 20, 2018, he performed "Wake Me Up" withTiësto as part of a tribute to Avicii atElectric Daisy Carnival.[41]
Aposthumous song with Avicii, titled "SOS", was released on April 10, 2019.[42] The following month, on May 16, Aloe Blacc was featured on a song withGryffin, titled "Hurt People".
In 2020, he competed inseason four ofThe Masked Singer as "Mushroom" and finished in second place, behindLeAnn Rimes as the "Sun".[citation needed]
In March 2024, Aloe Blacc featured on anAfro tech remix ofBen E. King's 1961 single "Stand By Me", titled "Darling", by South African DJ and record producer Shimza.[43] In May 2024, he announced that he would release a two-part series of EPs, titledRock My Soul, consisting of soul covers of rock songs. The first volume was released on June 7[44][45] and the second on June 28.
Aloe Blacc is actively involved inMalaria No More, a charity whose mission is to end malaria deaths through "engaging leaders, rallying the public, and delivering life-saving tools and education to families across Africa".[46][47]
Aloe Blacc is married to Mexican-Australian rapperMaya Jupiter. In 2013, they had their first child, a daughter.[48] In January 2016, they had a son.[49]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Aloe Blacc[50] | Best International Breakthrough Act | Nominated |
| Best International Male Solo Artist | Nominated[50] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Lift Your Spirit | Best R&B Album | Nominated |
Studio albums
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