August Anthony Alsina Jr.(April 8, 2013)
R&B Singer August Alsina Talks Working With The Dream, Preps Def Jam Debut
, ''Life + Times'' (confirms middle name; other sources confirm he is a "junior") (born September 3, 1992) is an American singer from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

, formerly signed to

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

.Feeney, Michael (September 20, 2013)
August Alsina has fans going wild in NYC as he gets ready to release remix with Chris Brown and Trey Songz
''

Daily News (New York) The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...

''(July 24, 2013)
MTV Jams' Fab 5 List: Spotlight On August Alsina
mtv.com He released his first mixtape ''The Product'' in 2012, followed by ''The Product 2'' and his debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) '' Downtown: Life Under the Gun'' in 2013, the latter released under

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...

's Radio Killa Records and

. Alsina then his debut studio album ''

Testimony In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. ...

'' in 2014, after garnering success from the

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

-selling singles " I Luv This Shit" (featuring Trinidad James) and "No Love" (featuring

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents ...

). The album was followed up by '' This Thing Called Life'' in 2015. After leaving Def Jam and a long hiatus, he released the EP ''Forever and a Day'' in 2019. In 2020, Alsina released his third album, '' The Product III: State of Emergency''—along with a five-part documentary series detailing his life experiences, family, and health, supported by a heavily publicized "entanglement" with actress

Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' name ...

Early life

Alsina was born on September 3, 1992September 3, 2013 Tweet from August Alsina
twitter.com, Retrieved September 25, 2013 (tweet confirms birthdate" "21 today... & my 1st time in Vegas! ...Know dat I'm wasted ...") in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, Louisiana. He attended middle school in New Orleans. Although no one in his family was musically inclined, he was inspired to sing by

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

in ''

Sister Act 2 ''Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' is a 1993 American musical comedy film, directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures. It is the sequel to the 1992 film ''Sister Act'', and is loosely based on the life of Crenshaw High School cho ...

''. Alsina first uploaded videos to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

in 2007 at age 14, starting with a cover of "Hypothetically" by

Lyfe Jennings Chester Jermaine "Lyfe" Jennings (born June 3, 1978) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, Double bass, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music. T ...

.(March 28, 2012)
New Orleans' August Alsina: R&B's Next Best Man
''

AllHipHop AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...

'' With both his father and stepfather battling

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked. Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment'' calls ...

addiction, Alsina's mother moved him to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, Texas in search of a fresh start after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005. Then, Alsina's father died. Alsina had disagreements with his mother at some point and was "kicked out." After his older brother, Melvin La'Branch III, was shot and killed on August 31, 2010, he became more committed to his music, and relocated to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

in 2011.(May 11, 2012)
August Alsina – Music Saved My Life
''Global Grind''(April 10, 2013)
Interview: R&B Singer August Alsina Talks The-Dream, His Def Jam Deal & New Orleans Upbringing
'' Respect.''(June 11, 2013)
Started From The Bottom, Now He's Here: August Alsina
theboxhouston.com (

KBXX KBXX (97.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format, mostly made up of hip-hop music and R&B. It is owned by Urban One as part of a three-station cluster with KMJQ and KROI. The ...

)

Career

2012–2014: ''Downtown: Life Under The Gun'' and ''Testimony''

His first mixtape ''The Product'' was released in April 2012,(August 20, 2013)
Who Is August Alsina – The Product Mixtape and Signing to Def Jam
''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''(April 15, 2012)
New Music: August Alsina – The Product (Mixtape) (World Premiere)
thisisrnb.com though an "Untitled" mixtape with six acoustic covers premiered in October 2011.(October 11, 2011)
NEW MUSIC/EMERGING ARTIST: AUGUST ALSINA – UNTITLED ACOUSTIC MIXTAPE
thisisrnb.com His single " I Luv This Shit" featuring Trinidad James was released in January 2013, and(February 20, 2013)
New Video: August Alsina (feat. Trinidad James) – "I Luv This Shit"
''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

''(April 26, 2013)
Introducing August Alsina, an R&B Crooner Unafraid of Making a Masterpiece
''

'' his

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

''The Product 2'' followed in May 2013.Stovall, Calvin (May 7, 2013)
Mixtape Review: August Alsina, The Product 2
''

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

''(May 15, 2013)
Mixtape Of The Week: August Alsina The Product 2
''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' The EP '' Downtown: Life Under the Gun'' was released on August 20, 2013, with a video for "Hell on Earth" released the following month.(September 16, 2013)
Watch August Alsina's "Hell On Earth"
''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' On December 9, 2013, the third single from his EP ''Downtown: Life Under the Gun'', "Ghetto" featuring

Rich Homie Quan Dequantes Lamar (born October 4, 1989), known professionally as Rich Homie Quan, is an American rapper. He was previously signed to labels T.I.G. Entertainment and Motown, and is an independent artist as of 2021. Quan experienced commercial succ ...

, was serviced to

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...

radio and it was the most added song on urban radio the week ending December 12, 2013. On January 14, 2014, Alsina released "Make It Home" featuring

Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followi ...

, as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from his debut studio album. Along with the release, it was revealed that the album would be titled ''

'', which was released on April 15, 2014. He was named part of the 2014 '' XXL'' freshmen class.

2015–2016: ''This Thing Called Life''

On December 11, 2015, Alsina released his second studio album, '' This Thing Called Life''. It debuted at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 41,000 copies in the United States. The album was supported by five singles; "Hip Hop", "Why I Do It" (featuring

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

), "Song Cry", "Been Around the World" (featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

) and "Dreamer".

2017–present: ''The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy''

Alsina had been working on his third studio album since 2017. On January 6, 2017, Alsina released the singles "Drugs". Then on June 1, 2017, "Lonely", and on June 6, 2017, "Don't Matter" was released for the album. The album, '' The Product III: State of Emergency'' was eventually released on June 26, 2020. The singer announced that the album highlights "the struggle in my life, my upbringing as a crack baby, losing my father and sister, and becoming the guardian for my three nieces", as well as his battle with the auto-immune disease that affected him. On September 21, 2021, he announced that he was “likely” retiring from music.

Artistry

Alsina's music generally falls into the R&B category, often fusing it with hip-hop. His musical influences are

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** F ...

and

Personal life

Health condition

In 2017, the singer revealed that he suffers from a severe

autoimmune disease An autoimmune disease is a condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a functioning body part. At least 80 types of autoimmune diseases have been identified, with some evidence suggesting that there may be more than 100 types. Nearly a ...

that attacks his

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

. This illness has led to multiple incidents including a collapse on stage in 2014. On July 8, 2019, Alsina updated his health scare. In a video he posted to

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, the singer explained that he was hospitalized after suffering a loss of mobility. "We're doing a bunch of tests and they're saying I have some nerve damage going on throughout my body".

Jada Pinkett Smith relationship

On June 30, 2020, Alsina claimed he was granted permission from

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

to be in a romantic relationship with his wife

. The following day, a representative for Pinkett Smith released a statement concerning the claims, referring to them as "absolutely not true." However, on July 10, in an episode of her talk show ''

Red Table Talk ''Red Table Talk'' is an American talk show starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Jada's mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, that premiered on May 7, 2018 on Facebook Watch. On June 13, 2018, it was announced that Facebook had ordered an ...

'', alongside Will Smith, Jada revealed that she did have a romantic relationship with Alsina four and a half years prior, when she and Will were separated. She stated she "got into a different kind of entanglement with August." Jada and Will denied that Will gave Alsina permission for the relationship, with Jada saying Alsina "would perceive it as permission because we er and Willwere separated amicably". Pinkett Smith further claimed she wanted to "heal" Alsina, but needed to find healing for herself first. She and Will eventually reconciled after she broke things off with Alsina; she says she has not spoken with Alsina since. After Jada's use of the word " entanglement" went viral on the Internet, Alsina released a collaboration titled "Entanglements" with rapper

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

on July 19, 2020, in which Alsina sings "You left your man just to fuck with me and break his heart".

Discography

* ''

'' (2014) * '' This Thing Called Life'' (2015) * '' The Product III: State of Emergency'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

, - , rowspan=4,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, rowspan=2, August Alsina , Best Male R&B/Pop Artist , , - , Best New Artist , , - , rowspan=2, " I Luv This Shit" , Best Collaboration , , - , Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award , , - , rowspan=2,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, August Alsina , Best Male R&B/Pop Artist , , - , "No Love" (Remix) , Best Collaboration , , -

Tours

Headlining

* ''Testimony Live'' (2014)

Opening act

* '' The UR Experience Tour'' (2014)

References

External links

*
Def Jam – August Alsina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alsina, August 1992 births Living people 21st-century African-American male singers African-American male singer-songwriters American hip hop singers American contemporary R&B singers American soul singers Def Jam Recordings artists Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans Southern hip hop musicians Singer-songwriters from Louisiana