On the Verge: Aloe Blacc has the 'Spirit' of a star

Smooth transitions: Before he was Aloe Blacc, sexy soul singer, he was Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, trumpet player in a high school marching band. "I got into hip-hop as a way to get out of band," he says. "I just didn't want to wear those uniforms." He teamed up with a neighbor, DJ Exile, to form …