Aloe Blacc
| Aloe Blacc | |
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Blacc at Festival Mundial in Tilburg on June 19, 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III |
| Born |
January 6, 1979 Laguna Hills, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
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| Website | www |
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known as Aloe Blacc (/ˈæloʊ blæk/), is an American musician, actor, record producer, and businessman. He is best known for his singles "I Need a Dollar", "The Man", which topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and for writing and performing vocals on Avicii's "Wake Me Up", which topped the charts in 22 countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom. Aside from his solo career, Blacc is also a member of musical duo Emanon, alongside American record producer Exile.
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III was born in Southern California's Orange County to Panamanian parents. Growing up in Laguna Hills, he began playing a rented trumpet in third grade. When it made more sense to buy the instrument, Blacc 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 class room," 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."
Blacc attended the University of Southern California, and graduated in 2001. He worked briefly in the corporate sector, for EY.
In 1995, Blacc teamed with hip hop producer Exile and formed Emanon -- 'no name' backwards—which was inspired by the title of a Dizzy Gillespie song. With break-beat 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. They subsequently released three albums, Steps Through Time (2001), Imaginary Friends (2002), and The Waiting Room (2005). A fourth album, Bird's Eye View, was recorded but never released. While Emanon was Blacc's primary project during this time period, he additionally toured and recorded with the members of the collective Lootpack and worked with the French jazz group Jazz Liberatorz.
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Wikipedia