Talib Kweli & Aloe Blacc On 'The Man,' 'Wake Up,' Blu & Exile And DJ Avicii | People's Party Full

In this episode of "People's Party With Talib Kweli," 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 we 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.
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PEOPLE'S PARTY WITH TALIB KWELI
People's Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh. Guests range from the biggest names in hip-hop to global entertainers to the most progressive minds moving our culture forward. The audio podcast is available on Apple and Spotify.

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TIME STAMPS: 1:48 -- Aloe and Talib talk about their last meeting at Harry Belafonte's birthday celebration in Harlem at the legendary Apollo Theatre. They go on to discuss Harry Belafonte's activism during the civil rights era, the work that Talib and Aloe have done together over the years, how Aloe applies his mindset of "A.I.M.": affirmation, inspiration, and motivation, the history of jazz horn players pushing boundaries and when Aloe chose to broaden his musical scope from hip hop to 1970's soul throwback and then forward to the future. 8:38 -- Aloe speaks on being raised by Panamanian parents and the memorable experiences visiting their home country at a young age. The nativist movement that has taken off during the Trump era is discussed along with Aloe working for the rights of the undocumented, his being motived by watching the struggles of the immigrants he grew up around and the notion of equal rights for others doesn't mean fewer rights for those that complain.. "it's not a pie". 13:44 -- Aloe talks about his introduction to musicianship when he started playing a rented trumpet in third grade. He tells about the evolutionary moment of his father buying him the trumpet, bringing him to realize that he was destined to become a musician and the full circle moment of his 5 year old son picking up the horn. They also discuss Aloe trying to balance his studies with music, meeting rapper Exile in 1995 while going to the same high school and the two of them forming their group Emanon. 18:48 -- Aloe gets into his history of emceeing being the training ground on his path to becoming a singer. He goes on to tell the story of how he and the group Lootpack linked up when he joined them on their European tour. They also discuss how producer Oh No and Sam Cooke's song 'A Change Is Gonna Come' was pivotal in the trajectory of Aloe's career and Aloe's debut album 'Shine Through' being the experimental process that gave Aloe the voice that he has today. 24:18 -- Aloe tells about his biggest inspirations coming from emcees that use melody in their rapping style, experimenting with new styles on tracks like Emanon's 'Runaway', Aloe bringing Blu and Exile together and Talib tells about Blu asking him to break down some of Wu-Tang's Five Percenter references. Jasmin goes on to reference some of Aloe's lyrics talking about making music for heads who buy music instead of something to eat and asks him why it's so important for people to put their dreams before anything else. 31:47 -- Talib brings up a studio session he had with Bow Wow, leading to him deciding that Talib was his mentor. They go on to discuss Aloe's group Emanon's song 'The World Don't Sing' being a foreshadowing of Aloe's singing career, how he defines the role of music in politics and Aloe living through Paul Robeson's quote of 'artists are the gatekeepers of truth'. They also talk about the different kind of happy Aloe experienced when he Talib and John Forte performed 'Get By' at Harry Belafonte's Birthday Celebration as well as how much the incredible legacy of Mr. B. means to each of them. 40:14 -- Aloe is asked for his thoughts on the current pandemic as they get into Aloe using his platform to influence positive change and support the campaign to end malaria and they discuss the history of Panama overcoming the spread of the disease with investment in infrastructure. They go on to talk about the many songs on Aloe's debut album that put his latin influence on full display and specifically the song 'Patria Mia' having the essence of what it means to be black Panamanian. 47:22 -- Aloe speaks on his 'Bee' project with the Japanese production duo Cradle and their song 'Still A Rose' being his first recorded slow jam. Talib brings up becoming friends with jazz musician Weldon Irvine and him playing keys on some of Talib's earliest recordings before his passing. They also discuss Aloe's 2010 album 'Good Things', what conceived the concepts for that record, Aloe taking major influence from Eugene McDaniels' album 'Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse' and how his song 'I Need A Dollar' became the theme for HBO's 'How To Make It In America'. 57:16 -- Aloe's song with Emanon 'She Thinks' is brought up as they point to it being the precursor to his song 'Loving You Is Killing Me'. They go on to discuss the work that needs to be done to end toxic relationships, the importance of having real friends to confide in and people needing to be fully conscious of their own truth and shortcomings before commiting to someone. They also discuss Aloe's collaboration with Swedish DJ Avicii on the hit 'Wake Me Up' and performing at the Avicii arena in honor of him after his passing. 1:04:04 -- Aloe talks about how much he loves DJ Khalil as a musician and even more as a human being. They go on to explore Aloe's song 'The Man' sampling Elton John, how he developed the idea around it, Jimmy Iovine telling Aloe he wanted the song on a Beats By Dre commercial, the story of how the production came together with DJ Khalil and the instrumental bed for the track being based on a song by Aloe when he was playing trumpet. 1:09:33 -- Aloe is asked about his film debut in the biopic 'Get On Up' playing Nafloyd Scott, a musician in James Brown’s band The Famous Flames. Aloe goes on to talk about his deep love and appreciation for the legacy of James Brown and feeling deeply honored by getting the chance to work with Chadwick Boseman, but details his only regret about the experience. They also discuss how incredible Chadwick's work ethic was and how he truly embodied the soul of James Brown. 1:15:17 -- Aloe gets into how his song 'Brooklyn In The Summer' came together, Aloe defining it as a throwback track belonging to the present day. They go on to discuss the tongue in cheek humor in the title of Aloe's 'I Got Your Christmas Right Here' and some of the best Christmas songs ever made. They also talk about Aloe's touching song 'Merry Christmas Mr. Brown' being dedicated to the tragic losses of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Oscar Grant and the victims who died in the terrorist attacks in Paris. 1:21:07 -- Aloe explains how the concept of Qualified Immunity is a catch 22, how police have been using it as a shield for far too long, and how vital that it be overturned as soon as possible. They also talk about the concept for one of Aloe's latest hit songs 'Harvard' being heavily inspired by themes of Joni Mitchell's song 'Big Yellow Taxi' and he breaks down the line of "I ain't been to Harvard, I ain't got no big degrees". In closing Aloe shares some of the philanthropic plans he has with his wife Maya Jupiter.

[@Madira15122]

Kweli thank you for bringing Aloe Blacc... please bring Buckshot or Oddisee🙏

[@drdread9896]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@AYYYEEEEYOOO]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@JayJayRealhiphop]

WORD! ODDISEE ! PLEASE !

[@BLURZMATIC]

“Emanon - outside looking in” is such a classic track !

[@filibusterjonesvods8361]

this is the long form content both hip-hop and the internet at large deserve

[@SolidSnake240]

Aloe is so talented. Alot of people don't even know that he's a dope ass emcee too. His "Emanon" stuff with Exile is so fire.

[@MU73KI]

Such a good interview! Thanks Talib and Jasmine for getting Aloe!

[@AYYYEEEEYOOO]

Jasmine so fine as usual 😍

[@geechiedan77.79]

the best podcast out here. aloe is a class act! jasmine is like the cool sister I never had lol

[@Zeus.Martinezz]

Excellent work as always 👏🏽👏🏽. Aloe is a legend

[@adrockavelli4310]

The E and J album (Johaz and Exile) is really good too.

[@be_hope_dk6547]

... Wauw... Amazing interview!!! Thank you, UPROXX Video (and everybody involved) for giving us this conversation!!! __/|\__ P.S. This format with threee people in the recording is brilliant! Because I loved how Kweli talked while Aloe was talking... Reason being: It reminds people that musicians are people too, and in conversations at parties for instance, you may say something where noone is listening... xD @46:54 //One

[@leekyoverhere]

I would love to have Saul Williams bring his messages

[@B-Nice]

Great conversation, AS ALWAYS!! Love seeing cats from Stones Throw here!!

[@adankpancake]

I'd love to see an episode with you and oddisee, roc marciano, airospace, or blu but this one is great too

[@Santiagothedreamer481]

Brilliant, Talib and Jasmine won Aloe over he really warmed up.

[@Woopo83]

Such a smart and talented guy. Great interview

[@finnsoeben694]

Great interview!

[@lnias396]

🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦

[@TheKiDDopm]

This hat game is serious

[@Laszlo5897]

Panama hats eh?

[@nellycastillo4457]

I l

[@saadhraichie1044]

Hi guys peace be with you IAM inviting you to Islam Islam is peace and security and success and happiness and containment of the soul We will be summoned by God for all things Allah the almighty king Is strict Islam can save you and help you inshallah Islam means beleife Of the One god that resembles nothing of his creation.

[@efrain_carmona]

Big ups to documenting the west coast hip hop scene, that is a space that many don't even know exists. RESPECT!!! Can we get a Blu Interview? Below the Heavens is a Certified Classic!!!

[@andrewkibor9581]

31:10 "I just wanna write and create the best songs I can do..if that means in order to sustain that I have to have a job, I will have a job" ...that goes to show how he's passionate about the music. Powerful!! Mad Respect

[@jayouayen]

Emanon made some great underground hip hop, especially around 1999.

[@Yo_Kev785]

We made it! Monday’s highlight is here folks 💯✊🏽

[@juanserafin6341]

Talib you should bring up Blu & Exile up here next!

[@kikidotdtv]

@0:38 "That was my vocals" 🤣🤣 Jasmin was starting early w the vibes I love itt!! Lolol

[@3d1k3]

It’s this myth that I believe hip hop has stepped away from……that practitioners must be from the gutter. Or at least that the most authentic comes from the gutter. Meanwhile, a lot of our favorite artists have come from middle class to upper middle class and even wealthy, privileged backgrounds. This isn’t shameful. I think it encourages/is encouraging subsequent generations that growth education and accomplishment isn’t wack

[@busymike]

Kweli should interview Kanye on this.

[@gmotif6]

This guy is super talented

[@notbenh]

Amazing conversation

[@fnangh]

Amazing Interview 💛

[@TonytheSwordsman]

Shoutout this speech 34:40

[@matthewhomyak1665]

Fantastic interview

[@cosmicprankmusic]

You can tell eeeverybooody

[@xolaninkosi5748]

Much love and respect for this gentlemen and their crafts. Peace and Love for Blu & Exile - Johannesburg, South Africa.

[@TBoogy3]

I am often thinking of where I want to retire to. Panama has been on the list for a while, but you might have just elevated it to #1. Thanks for this.

[@gworrall1]

Yet another amazing interview, so much for me to go away and take from it. I had no clue that was him in Get On Up! Now I have to watch it again.

[@waynethompson5724]

So profound!😳 Thank you Talib, Jasmin and The Mega Talented Aloe Blacc

[@ericwilliams1023]

Emanon is dope..that joint with Mos , Yasin is still ILL !!

[@nellycastillo4457]

Yuyyyn.

[@saadhraichie1044]

Hi guys peace be with you IAM inviting you to Islam Islam is peace and security and success and happiness and containment of the soul We will be summoned by God for all things Allah the almighty king Is strict Islam can save you and help you inshallah Islam means beleife Of the One god that resembles nothing of his creation.

[@ShitTalkinPodcast]

Our Problem Is When Dark Skin People Come Here And Talk Down To Native Dark Skin People. Our Native Dark Skin People Fought For Them To Come Here. It's Really That Simple Just Don't Talk Down On The People From The Land You Migrated To.