EMANON was born in mid 1995 when Exile and Aloe Blacc
met through mutual friends. Exile was looking for an emcee for some
of his beats. Aloe stepped up to the plate and the connection was
undeniable. Later that year they released Stretch Marx, the first
of a series of mixtapes. Back then they were just Dream Sequence,
which is now the name of the crew of heads related to the EMANON
movement. The name EMANON wasn't adopted until after the release
Imaginary Friends, which includes a song by the same name. Exile
and Aloe agreed that it was a fitting title for the duo and stuck
with it. Aloe Blacc also grew up with Hip Hop. In his early
childhood, dancing is what drew him into the culture. Known as
“Little Rock” by the neighborhood crew, Aloe Blacc used to bring
cardboard on the bus in first-grade for the recess battle on the
playground. Aloe left the cardboard and picked up the microphone
when a neighborhood friend hipped him to legendary Hip Hop radio
station KDAY. He started writing at age nine and still has the
notepads to prove it. Exile grew up listening to Hip Hop and became
a dedicated member of the culture early in his youth. His first
experience with deejaying came long before he ever touched a mixer
and two turntables. Exile used to scratch records on a home stereo
system using the selector switch as a toggle. As a graf artist, he
was immersed in the ranks of true heads that encouraged his skills,
and when he saved up enough money, he got his first pair of
Technics with a Numark mixer. The international Hip Hop community
has welcomed EMANON with open arms as they have toured in countries
such as Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, England, and Japan.
They have also been embraced by some major label acts opening for
artists such as De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, KRS-1, Red Man,
Talib Kweli, just name a few. Aloe Blacc & DJ Exiles plans for
the immediate future include a host of projects: debut album, solo
albums, crew compilations, deejay albums, etc. There will be enough
music for every emotion, thought, and event. So whether you are out
with your friends getting something to eat, or chilling at home
wasting time, EMANON are right where you want them to be. "DJ
Exile, who has produced for artists such as Ghostface Killah, Slum
Village, and Sa-Ra, laces Waiting Room with his very eclectic
approach to beat-making, creating a jazzy, soulful feel on these 15
unique tracks...Through refreshing beats and a far more accurate
portrayal of day-to-day living than the ‘reality’ portrayed by any
so-called ‘gangsta’ rapper, Emanon displays what ‘keeping it real’
is really all about on Waiting Room." - Undergroundhiphop.com
Raphael Saadiq at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA
September 8, 2025 from 7pm to 11pm
ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS. WINNER WILL BE DRAWN RANDOMLY AND ANNOUNCED 2 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT. MONDAY, SEP 8 An Evening With Raphael Saadiq No Bandwidth! One Man! One Night! Three Decades of…See More
August 22, 2025 at 9:30pm to June 26, 2026 at 1:45am
FRIDAY, AUG 22Groove LoungeSoul / R&B / Hip Hop / Afrobeat / HouseFeaturing:Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist (True Skool)@ The Miranda, 1739 Broadway, OaklandNo cover | 9pm-1:30am | 21+See More
WEDNESDAY AUG 13 THROWBACK (2nd & 4th Wednesdays) All Throwbacks: Hip Hop, Soul/Funk, Reggae +more!Featuring Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist (True Skool)at Hello Stranger Bar, 1724 Broadway, Oakland. Doors…See More
August 17, 2025 at 4:30pm to November 23, 2025 at 7:30pm
Crucial Reggae Sundays: free, family-friendly reggae music in Golden Gate Park hosted by Irie Dole, Guidance, and DJ Sep and featuring special guests every week 4:20 pm to 7:30 pm at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell / Music Concourse: 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118 www.instagram.com/crucialreggaesundayssf/…See More
Adelanto, CA – On August 14, 2025, independent artist DJTHAHOMIE will release "Spooky Wonders," a genre-bending project that fuses eerie atmospheres, raw emotion, and compelling rhythms. This sonic experience promises listeners an unforgettable journey through…See More