Egbert “Aloe Blacc” Dawkins III began his unlikely ascent to mainstream stardom as one-half of the indie hip-hop duo Emanon with producer Exile. He continued rapping on his 2006 Stones Throw Records solo debut, Shine Through, but revealed a soulful singing voice on the track “Busking”. Soon, his sonorous pipes and melancholy retro-soul style produced 2010's surprise hit “I Need a Dollar”. But his most unexpected moment of versatility was the country twang he adopted for “Wake Me Up”, a genre-bending collaboration with Swedish EDM producer Avicii.