Interview with Aloe Blacc

On a forum about the HBO TV show, How To Make It In America, an anonymous commenter wrote,  “The star of the show ain’t even a cast member. It’s Aloe Blacc, the theme-song singer.” Okay, so I was the commenter. But the sentiment belonged to many. Meanwhile, Good Things, the third album from this reinvented Stones Throw signee, has had time to officially unpack and, of course, OKP is on the welcoming committee.

OKP: Where did you learn to sing?

Aloe Blacc: I learned it writing songs and practicing. I had a vocal trainer for about a month, who helped me learn certain ways to sing and then from there it was finding the type of sound and style that fits my voice best.

OKP: How did you support yourself while doing music at first?

AB: Before I started doing it full time in 2003, I went to school for four years at USC. When I graduated, I was working at a business firm consulting for a couple of years. By that time, I had already developed a fan base.

OKP: At USC?

AB: I had the following since high school.

OKP: Really?

AB: Instead of doing sports or playing video games, I was making music. Mixed it, mastered, manufactured it. Then we just went to the stores and sold them. We got shows on consignment.

OKP: Remarkable. What made you quit your consulting job?

AB: I was caught up in a round of lay offs. I figured I could do music for a little bit before I didn’t have any money left. I shared a house with other musicians, went off and did music.

OKP: Where was this?

AB: This was close to Downtown LA. Close to University Park. Right near USC.

OKP: And all of a sudden there’s this show How To Make It In America and you have the hot new theme song to it. How did you land that?

AB: The songs were recorded and ready to go. They contacted Stones Throw and the label sent a bunch of different stuff. They ended up choosing my song. I was excited. I felt it was a good way to launch to an audience.

OKP: So, do you prefer singing to rapping now?

AB: I’m doing both actually. I have another [all rap] album coming out shortly. I prefer singing because of the songwriting. It’s much more musically evolved. There’s a lot more melody and harmony. It’s more attractive to a larger audience. As a musician and an entertainer, I want my music to be appreciated by as many as people as possible.

REVIEW: Aloe Blacc's Good Things

On his debut album, Aloe Blacc officially trades in his MC mean mug for a soulful red bow tie. With deft song-writing that only ripens with the indie star’s coal-simmering vocals, Good Things is an assemblage of groovy life lessons, the kind that only a poet can pass down. On “Miss Fortune”, a funky allegory that warns about the fickleness of wealth, Aloe sings, “I met a girl by the name of ‘Miss Fortune’, daddy was a very rich man/ He told me, ‘Son, proceed with caution, if you wanna take my little girl’s hand’.” It’s the same cool storytelling that made his first single “I Need a Dollar” (also the theme song for HBO’s How to Make It In America) a hit.

Though Bill Withers may be the most obvious ghost loitering on the record, Blacc blooms into a style all his own. Whether it’s his tone (“Loving You is Killing Me”) or downright cynicism (“Hey Brother”), the young singer does not just borrow the Classic R&B formula, but updates it. The album’s title track is full big twangy guitars straight out of 1970’s Soul Train episode, but on it Aloe creatively addresses his mystery woman by four different titles. It’s been over seven years since Aloe made the decision to do more singing than rapping, but very fortunately on this LP, the MC pen has infiltrated the R&B tune.

HBO's How To Make It In America

.....is a hot show and in quest to fill the Entourage void, I must say my thirst was at least partly quenched after watching the series premiere. It's about two hipsters types--a young clothes designer and his scheming roommate (think "The Honeymooners with an urban twist)--who strive to get rich in New York City. It stars Victor Rasuk (please tell me you recognize that name from Raising Victor Vargas) and Kid Cudi as a supporting character. It's pretty dope. Makes you want to live in the Big Apple!