Aloe Blacc On ‘People’s Party With Talib Kweli’

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In this episode of “People’s Party With Talib Kweli”, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and philanthropist:

ALOE BLACC

Aloe has stated his purpose for music is positive social change…Here’s what they got into:

  • Aloe and Talib’s last meeting at Harry Belafonte’s birthday celebration at the Apollo Theatre
  • How Aloe applies his mindset of “A.I.M.”: affirmation, inspiration, and motivation
  • Being raised by Panamanian parents and the memorable experiences visiting their home country
  • Aloe’s working for the rights of undocumented immigrants
  • His introduction to musicianship when he started playing a rented trumpet in third grade
  • Meeting rapper Exile in 1995 while in high school and forming their group Emanon
  • His history of emceeing being the training ground on his path to becoming a singer
  • Linking up with the group Lootpack when he joined them on their European tour
  • The importance of producer Oh No and Sam Cooke’s song “A Change Is Gonna Come”
  • Early inspirations coming from emcees that use melody in their rapping style
  • Blu asking Talib to break down some of Wu-Tang’s Five Percenter references
  • Aloe’s take on why it’s so important for people to put their dreams before anything else
  • The time that Bow Wow decided he wanted Talib to become his mentor
  • Aloe living through Paul Robeson’s quote of “artists are the gatekeepers of truth”
  • Talib, John Forte, and Aloe performing “Get By” at Harry Belafonte’s Birthday Celebration
  • Using his platform in support of the campaign to end malaria
  • His song, “Patria Mia”, having the essence of what it means to be Black Panamanian
  • Working on the ‘Bee’ project with the Japanese production duo Cradle
  • Talib becoming friends with jazz musician Weldon Irvine who played keys on early records
  • How his song, “I Need A Dollar”, became the theme for HBO’s “How To Make It In America”
  • His song, “Loving You Is Killing Me”, and discussion about the need to end toxic relationships
  • Aloe’s collaboration with Swedish DJ Avicii on the hit “Wake Me Up” and honoring his passing
  • Working with DJ Khalil on the song, “The Man”, and it’s sampling of Elton John
  • Aloe’s acting debut in “Get On Up” playing a musician in James Brown’s band
  • Witnessing the incredible work ethic of Chadwick Boseman
  • The tongue-in-cheek humor of Aloe’s “I Got Your Christmas Right Here”
  • Aloe’s song “Merry Christmas Mr. Brown” and it’s heartfelt dedication to those lost
  • The concept of qualified immunity and how police have hid behind it for too long
  • The song, “Harvard”, being heavily inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”
  • Aloe shares some of the philanthropic plans he has with his wife Maya Jupiter

“People’s Party With Talib Kweli” is also available to give a listen via Spotify | SoundCloud | Google Play | Apple | Luminary