Aloe Blacc is an American soul singer, rapper and musician, who was born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III in 1979. 

Blacc began his career in 1995, as a rapper in the American hip hop duo Emanon , which consisted of the producer Exile and Aloe himself. The duo released six albums in total. This also led to Blacc working with the French Jazz group Jazz Liberatorz. In 2003, he was signed to Stones Throw Records and he started a solo career. He released his debut EP in the same year. He then released his debut solo album, Shine Thorough on July 11 2006. It was released on CD, Vinyl, Digital Download and also on the Stones Throw website.  He then went on tour across Europe and America with Enmanon. He also worked on his second solo album ‘Good Things’.

‘Good Things’ is the second studio album by American soul singer Aloe Blacc. The album was released in America on 28^th September 2010 and in the UK on 26^th November by Stones Throw Records. It reached number 8 on the UK Albums Charts. The album was originally released on Stones Throw Records in 2010. It was produced by Jeff Dynamite and Leon Michels for Truth & Soul Productions. In 2010, Blacc signed a recording contract with Epic Records for the UK and Ireland.

He also recorded a cover version of the John Legend song ‘Ordinary People’ in Spanish called ‘Gente Ordinaria’. He went on to write ‘At All’ for Lena Meyer-Landrut’s album ‘Good News’, after meeting the German singer backstage after a TV show.

‘I Need A Dollar’ was released on 16^th March 2010. An edited version of the song was used as an introduction song for the HBO show How to Make It in America and was featured as the iTunes Single of the Week. It also featured in the EA Sports’ 2011 boxing game Fight Night Champion. Blacc has performed the song live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Later… with Jools Holland, The Graham Norton Show and Conan. It was featured in a commercial for Boost Mobile wireless services.

‘Loving You Is Killing Me’ was the album’s second single released on 7^th March 2011. It was produced by Leon Michels and Jeff Dynamite.

His hit single ‘I Need A Dollar’ has been widely successful across Europe reaching the top ten in many countries, including No2 in the UK.

by Liam Sellick