Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, better known as Aloe Blacc
one of America's best soul artiste, vocalist, songwriter and record producer, is in town.
He is set to perform tomorrow for the first time in Kenya,
at the Ngong racecourse during the eagerly anticipated grand return of the monthly Blankets & Wine music extravaganza.
But who exactly is this 37-year-old multi-instrumentalist and Grammy Award nominee, whose hard-hitting topics of his songs are deep-rooted in black supremacy, freedom and independence? He opens up during our exclusive interview at the Serena Hotel.
The Star: Just how did you find your way into the America's mainstream music?
Blacc: I got interested in music from a tender age. Professionally though, I started with hip hop group Emanon (no name spelt backwards) in 1995. As we progressed, the climate for the genre in the commercial market changed drastically. We went from the jazzy, philosophical and poetic kind of hip hop, to a very street and violent style that became very popular in the mainstream. However, in 2005, I had to make the transition into singing, where I would be more effective as a lyricist.
TS: How was the transition?
Blacc: It was not easy and took me a long time just to learn how to write and sing differently. In hip hop, I was doing 20 words in one bar. This was very was very different from the style I was developing, where I had to write like four or five words per line. It took me more than seven years to make a break through.
TS: How can you describe LL Cool J's influence on you?
Blacc: He was my first big influence. The first ever hip hop record I owned, was his. My first rhyme style when I was nine years old, was influenced by an LL Cool J rhyme. But over the years, I started to learn different styles until I eventually developed my own. In a large way, my main influence is hip hop, largely because it's transcultural, trans-generational and transnational. It doesn't matter where you come from to get into it. My parents immigrated to the US from Panama and I grew up listening to lots of Caribbean music, especially reggae and calypso. But the friends I had in school used to listen to classic rock. This influenced me differently.
TS: You are championing a Malaria eradication cause, with emphasis on Africa? Why have you chosen to do this?
Blacc: I use my music videos as often as possible to share important social causes I believe my audience should be aware of, and also to create positive social transformations. I composed a song as well as created a video concept which I want to record with the Malaria No More (a nonprofit organisation that aims to end malaria deaths). The video will potentially be filmed here in Nairobi, so I will be speaking with some filmmakers and the Malaria No More team in Nairobi, to make it happen.
TS: Your songs are often deemed controversial. What influences your choice of topics to tackle in your songs?
Blacc: I discuss varied topics and try to show the real picture in the videos. For instance, the Wake Me Up video was used to discuss immigration. When my parents moved from Panama, there was some form of tension with immigrants. It took them seven years to become American citizens. I still have family and friends who are still struggling to become US citizens. The plight of black people – the descendants of Africa – is so difficult everywhere in the world. I wanted to discuss that.
TS: How about Love Is The Answer?
Blacc: In this song, I discussed the issue of willful defiance. How could the school district in the US chose to punish young pupils for petty things like wearing a hat backwards, wearing their pants a bit too low or even talking in class? When the young people are suspended from school, there are no alternatives in the environment that they live in. When they are at home, the opportunity for them to get involved in gangs, the drug-selling lifestyle and other negative street elements, is much higher. The Man music video discussed and highlighted the heroes of the past like Malcom X, Martin Luther King and Muhammad Ali, who all stood up for what they believed in, and against a system that was targeting the black demographic.
TS: Do you ever do collaborations?
Blacc: It's difficult for me to think about collaborations as I often prefer to work solo. But if I have to think about collaborating, I would start with Quincy Jones and Aretha Franklin. Then I would approach the tremendously talented and contemporary artistes, who are often unknown and unseen because the mainstream doesn't appreciate this level of talent. I like people who can write what they sing because that is what I do myself. I like to sing what I write. Besides that, I will be learning about new artistes here in Nairobi that I may as well like to collaborate with.
TS: Do you believe that the American law system exacerbates this notion of the black demographic being targeted?
Blacc: I believe that when you have a political and judicial kind of incarceration system, built to make money from incarceration, then there will be incentives to create laws that will be excessively punitive. So, in America, they will always find ways to bring more people to jail. The prison owners already know that if a child doesn't know how to read by third grade, their chances of going to prison is 60 per cent higher. If they are in prison, the prison owners get USD60,000 (Sh 6million) a year from taxpayers' money, which doesn't necessarily go towards rehabilitating the prisoner, but to line pockets of corrupt people. One thing I think is missing in the black man movement, is the discussion about making a call to action.
TS: Have you ever considered going into acting?
Blacc: I have many times taken scripts from film directors and producers because I would like to try my hand in acting. What I find very difficult, is not having control on the story. Quite often, the scripts want me to depict a drug dealer, an ex-convict or a gun man. This is so far from who I am and all the black people that I know personally.
TS: What motivates you?
Blacc: What makes me wake up every morning and do what I do, is my will to continue to stand in the world that I am in, and to be in this reality because it's distractive to the world. I have the opportunity to represent all of “you”; the positive, educated and outstanding black individuals who deserve visibility and that representation. I stand as an example of the positive image of blackness around the world.
TS: What's the coolest thing you have noticed about Nairobi?
Blacc: The nature. Where I live, the reason why you can't see the horizon is because of the buildings. I appreciate Nairobi because you can't see the horizon because of the trees.
TS: What do you expect from Nairobians at your show on Sunday?
Blacc: I am looking forward to the energy. To see how people engage with music. Im curious as to whether they interact with the artist on stage of are they just spectators?
