Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979),[1] known professionally as Aloe Blacc (/ˈæloʊ ˈblæk/ ⓘ), is an American singer and rapper. He is best known for his guest performance on Avicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up", which peaked on the charts in 22 countries, including in Australia and the UK. As a lead artist, he is known for his singles "I Need a Dollar" and "The Man", the latter of which topped the UK Singles Chart.[2][3][4] Aside from his solo career, Aloe Blacc is also a member of the hip hop duo Emanon, alongside American record producer Exile.
Aloe Blacc
| |
|---|---|
Aloe Blacc performing in 2011
| |
| Born | Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (1979-01-07) January 7, 1979 (age 45)
Laguna Hills, California, U.S.
|
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse |
(m. 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
|
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Discography | Aloe Blacc discography |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | Emanon |
| Formerly of |
|
| Website | www |
Aloe Blacc was born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III to Panamanian parents in southern California's Orange County.[5] Growing up in Laguna 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 to LL 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 the University of Southern California, Dawkins majored in linguistics and psychology and graduated in 2001. He worked briefly in the corporate sector for Ernst & Young.[6][8]
In 1995, Aloe Blacc teamed with hip hop producer Exile and formed Emanon—"no name" backwards—which was inspired by the title of the Dizzy Gillespie song "Emanon".[7] With breakbeat loops and jazz samples, Emanon became a mainstay of the indie rap underground and released their first mixtape in 1996, followed by the EP Acid 9 in 1999.[8][9] They subsequently published six projects: the demo album Imaginary Friends (1996), a compilation called Steps Through Time (2001), the albums The Waiting Room (2005) and Dystopia (2016), and the EPs Acid 9 (1998) and Anon & 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 of MTV's The Cut.[11]
Blacc launched his career as a solo artist in 2003, releasing two EPs, and signing to Stone's Throw Records in 2006, after label head Chris Manak (known as Peanut Butter Wolf) heard Blacc and immediately offered him a contract for the 2006 full-length Shine Through.[8] By then, he 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 Blacc's first full-length album and was released in 2006. It received significant media attention in the U.S. and abroad. Pitchfork wrote that Shine Through had "flashes of keen musical interpolation" and signaled "some sort of greatness",[12] NPR named the track "Nascimento" as song of the day, and Absolute Punk noted that Shine 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, Blacc toured Europe and the United States with Emanon, and collaborated with the Japanese hip hop producer Cradle on a project called Bee.[15]
In 2006, Blacc attended the Melbourne Red Bull Music Academy.[16]
In 2010, Blacc released Good Things on Stones Throw Records. A commercial success, Good Things 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 the HBO series How To Make It in America,[17] reached 1 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 the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Spin, NME, and Entertainment Weekly, among others.[17][19][20][21][22] Shortly after the release of the record, Blacc signed with Simon Fuller's XIX Management.[23]
In 2011, Blacc contributed a track to the album Red Hot + Rio 2, a follow-up to the 1996 Red Hot + Rio, with all proceeds donated to raise money and awareness to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues. That summer, Blacc performed on the main stages at major festivals such as Glastonbury and The Falls Festival in Australia with his primary touring band The Grand Scheme. In 2012, he appeared at the renowned North Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam, Lollapalooza (Chicago) and Osheaga (Montreal).[24][25]
In 2012, Blacc joined a music project, Roseaux established by Emile Omar. Other musicians include Alex Finkin and Clement Petit. The band released its debut self-titled album Roseaux, with all eleven tracks featuring the vocals of Aloe Blacc. The album reached #92 in the French Albums Chart. The debut single, "More Than Material", peaked at #80 on the French singles chart.[citation needed]
Aloe Blacc was introduced to Swedish DJ AviciibyLinkin Park's co-vocalist Mike Shinoda who was a good friend of Avicii. As a result, in 2013, Blacc co-wrote the song "Wake Me Up" with Avicii.[2] With Blacc on vocals, the song reached #1 in 103 countries and became the fastest selling single in the UK, selling 267,000 copies in its first week.[26] He also collaborated with Avicii on a track called "Liar Liar" that featured Blondfire as well. In September of that year, Blacc signed with Interscope Records[27] and released an EP, titled Wake Me Up EP. The five-track EP 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 for the new Battlefield 4 game TV advert, and "The Man" as background music for the Beats by Dr. Dre commercials featuring Kevin Garnett, Colin Kaepernick, Richard Sherman, and Cesc Fàbregas. "Ticking Bomb" is also the theme for the WWE Pay-Per-View Payback.
In October 2013, Blacc released the music video for the track "Wake Me Up". Blacc collaborated with the immigrant rights group National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the ABC* Foundation's Healing Power of Music Initiative. The director was Alex Rivera.[29][30] The cast were immigrant activists: Hareth Andrade Ayala (aVirginia leader in the immigrant youth movement working to stop her own father's deportation), Agustin Chiprez Alvarez (a Los Angeles day laborer), and Margarita Reyes who was deported with her mother as a child despite being born in the U.S.[31][32]
Blacc's Interscope/XIX debut, Lift Your Spirit, was released in November 2013, and featured production by Pharrell, DJ Khalil, and songwriter Harold Lilly, among others.[33] In the UK, he helped promote his album by performing tracks from it on Later... with Jools Holland.[34]
Released in May 2014, Blacc features on the song "The World Is Ours" on the album One Love, One Rhythm, a compilation album released for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which was held in Brazil in June and July 2014.[35]
It was announced that Blacc would be the guest advisor for Adam Levine's team on Season 6ofThe Voice.[36]
Aloe performed "America the Beautiful" to open WrestleMania 31 at the Levi's stadium in California.
On May 5, 2015, a sneak peek of Owl City's single "Verge" featuring Aloe Blacc aired on ESPN's "Draft Academy". The song was released on May 14, 2015.[37]
In February 2016, Blacc announced his contribution to the film Race, a song called "Let the Games Begin".
On June 19, 2016, Blacc sang the national anthem and performed during the halftime show at the NBA finals, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Golden State Warriors.
In 2016, Exile and Aloe Blacc released their first album as Emanon since 2005, with the release of Dystopia. The album features production by Exile and Aloe, and guest rappers Blu and Cashus King.[38][39]
In 2017, Blacc provided vocals for the Tiësto song "Carry You Home".[40]
On May 20, 2018, Blacc performed "Wake Me Up" with Tiësto as part of a tribute to Avicii at Electric Daisy Carnival.[41]
Aposthumous song with Avicii, titled "SOS" was released on April 10.[42] The following month on May 16, Blacc was featured on a song with Gryffin titled "Hurt People" and finally on December 5, 2019, Blacc performed Wake Me Up and SOS at the Avicii Tribute Concert, held at Stockholm's Friends Arena.
In 2020, Blacc competed in season fourofThe Masked Singer as "Mushroom" and finished in second place behind LeAnn Rimes as the "Sun". He also clarified that what was thought to be a dress on the costume was actually the stump of the mushroom.
In March 2024, Blacc featured on an afro-tech remix of Ben 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, titled Rock 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.
Blacc is actively involved in Malaria No More. The charity's 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 rapper Maya Jupiter. In 2013, they had their first child, a daughter, Mandela.[48] In January 2016, they had their second child, 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
