[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 was born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III to Panamanian parents in southern California's Orange County.

[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".

[11] Aloe Blacc launched his career as a solo artist in 2003, releasing two EPs and signing to Stones Throw Records in 2006, after label head Chris Manak heard him sing and immediately offered him a contract for the 2006 full-length Shine 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.

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, Aloe Blacc toured Europe and the United States with Emanon and collaborated with the Japanese hip hop producer Cradle on a project called Bee.

A commercial success, the album was certified gold in the UK, France, Germany, and Australia, among other countries, and ultimately hit double platinum sales.

[24][25] In 2012, Aloe Blacc contributed vocals to the debut album by the French music project Roseaux, established by Emile Omar.

[28] "Ticking Bomb" was used as the background music in a Battlefield 4 TV ad, and "The Man" appeared in Beats by Dr. Dre commercials featuring Kevin Garnett, Colin Kaepernick, Richard Sherman, and Cesc Fàbregas.

[31][32] Aloe 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.

[36] On May 5, 2015, a sneak peek of Owl City's single "Verge", featuring Aloe Blacc, aired on ESPN's Draft Academy.

In 2016, Exile and Aloe Blacc released their first album as Emanon since 2005, titled Dystopia, which features guest rappers Blu and Cashus King.

[citation needed] In March 2024, Aloe 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.