Aloe Blacc started his musical career during the mid-1990s in Laguna Hills, California where he developed into an American singer, songwriter and rapper. Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III started his music career as a member of underground hip-hop duo Emanon before establishing himself as a solo artist who combines soul music with R&B and socially aware lyrics.

The debut album Shine Through (2006) from Aloe Blacc demonstrated his musical range yet his second album Good Things (2010) achieved worldwide success through the popular single “I Need a Dollar.”