Aloe Blacc Defines What It Means to Be 'The Man'

Aloe Blacc reveals that his character in the James Brown biopic "Get on Up" is no fan of late Godfather of Soul. In the Imagine Entertainment film starring Chadwick Boseman, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Jill Scott, Aloe plays Nafloyd Scott, a guitarist in James's pre-fame band, the Famous Flames.

"He's a bit bitter that James Brown joined the band and took all of the attention," Aloe says of his character in the movie due out Aug. 1. "He didn't really like James Brown, because the band was originally a gospel band but James Brown came in and made them a bunch of heathens. So he quits the band, way before all of the success."

In real life, the soul singer from Orange County, Calif. (with roots in Panama) has demonstrated much better business savvy than his onscreen persona.

The rapper-turned-singer, who has scored a number of hit records ("I Need a Dollar," "Wake Me Up" with Avicii, and "The Man," currently No. 9 in the U.S. pop charts), will headline the Suja Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 on June 1, benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The charity connection offered added value to Aloe. "When I was in the 6th grade, one of my fellow students was diagnosed with leukemia and he passed away within months," he recalls. "It was a very sad time at a young age to discover the fragility of life and to learn about this disease. On the other side, I have friends whose parents suffered and survived the disease because of early detection and treatment."

Aloe is the perfect headliner for the event that promotes fitness and music, as his recordings infuse uplifting messages. "I like to make songs that are relevant from the perspective of social issues or relevant personal experience, and that's ultimately how I end up connecting with my audience," he says. "It's easier to connect to an audience when your message relates to them."

Such is the case for his song "I Need a Dollar." After performing as a rapper for 10 years, Aloe pursued a solo career as a singer, and in 2010 made a huge impact with the song he wrote about losing his corporate job. The song's theme of despair caught the attention of HBO's show "How to Make It in America," and was adopted as its theme.

Aloe's diverse musical influences also contribute to his appeal. "I like a lot of different styles of music," he says, listing salsa, bossa nova, jazz, classical, classic rock, soul, R&B, and folk. "I've been able to filter what each genre does best and ultimately get down to the elements of what is attractive to everybody."



When recording the EDM-meets-country smash "Wake Me Up" with Avicii, Aloe says the original intention was to create something reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's "Heard It Through the Grapevine." Then he tried a version with lyrics by Elvis Presley songwriter Mac Davis. But things didn't connect until the third session.

"When I went in with Mike Einziger, guitarist from Incubus, and Avicii, they had already come up with the chord progression," he remembers. "I had lyrics I wanted to sing. I sorta sang with slight country twang, because it felt like a country feel."



Aloe always follows his instincts when creating. "I never worried about what the reaction would be from an audience," he says. "I do this because of a lot of personal enjoyment I get from making music. I'm always experimenting and always doing whatever I want to do. At the end of the day, I decide what will work best in the marketplace. Whatever you end up hearing is just the tip of the iceberg, because there's so much other music underneath."

Follow Billy Johnson Jr. Facebook, Twitter.