August Alsina

August Anthony Alsina Jr.[4] (born September 3, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana, formerly signed to Def Jam Recordings.[5][6] He released his first mixtape The Product in 2012 followed by the mixtape The Product 2 and his debut extended play (EP) Downtown: Life Under the Gun in 2013. Alsina released his debut album Testimony in 2014 followed by This Thing Called Life in 2015. His Platinum-selling singles are "I Luv This Shit" and "No Love".[7] After leaving Def Jam he released the EP Forever and a Day in 2019. In 2020, Alsina released the album The Product III: State of Emergency, along with a 5-part documentary series detailing his life experiences, family and health problems.

August Alsina
Alsina performing in May 2015
Background information
Birth nameAugust Anthony Alsina Jr.
Born (1992-09-03) September 3, 1992[1][2]
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2007–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteaugustalsina.com

Early life

Alsina was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.[8] He attended middle school in New Orleans.[9] Although no one in his family was musically inclined, he was inspired to sing by Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2. Alsina first uploaded videos to YouTube in 2007 at age 14, starting with a cover of "Hypothetically" by Lyfe Jennings.[10]

With both his father and stepfather battling crack cocaine addiction, Alsina's mother moved him to Houston, Texas in search of a fresh start after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Then, Alsina's father died.[8][9] 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 in 2011.[11][12][13]

Musical career

2012–14: Downtown: Life Under The Gun and Testimony

His first mixtape The Product was released in April 2012,[14][15] though an "Untitled" mixtape with six acoustic covers premiered in October 2011.[16] His single "I Luv This Shit" featuring Trinidad James was released in January 2013, and[17][18] his mixtape The Product 2 followed in May 2013.[19][20]

The EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun was released on August 20, 2013, with a video for "Hell on Earth" released the following month.[21] On December 9, 2013, the third single from his EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun, "Ghetto" featuring Rich Homie Quan, was serviced to urban contemporary radio[22] and it was the most added song on urban radio the week ending December 12, 2013.[23] On January 14, 2014, Alsina released "Make It Home" featuring Jeezy, as the lead single from his debut studio album. Along with the release, it was revealed that the album would be titled Testimony, which was released on April 15, 2014.[24] He was named part of the 2014 XXL freshmen class.[25]

2015–2016: This Thing Called Life

On December 11, 2015, Alsina released his second studio album, This Thing Called Life.[26] It debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 41,000 copies in the United States.[27] The album was supported by five singles; "Hip Hop", "Why I Do It" (featuring Lil Wayne), "Song Cry", "Been Around the World" (featuring Chris Brown) 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.

Artistry

Alsina's music generally falls into the Alternative R&B category that predominantly involves fusions with hip-hop. His musical influences are Usher and Lyfe Jennings.[28]

Personal life

Health condition

In 2017, the singer revealed that he suffers from a severe autoimmune disease that attacks his liver. This illness has led to multiple incidents including a collapse on stage in 2014.[29]

On July 8, 2019, Alsina updated fans on his recent health scare. In a video he posted to Instagram, 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".[30]

Jada Pinkett Smith relationship

On June 30, 2020, Alsina claimed he was granted permission from Will Smith to be in a romantic relationship with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.[31] The following day, a representative for Pinkett Smith released a statement concerning the claims, referring to them as "absolutely not true."[31] However, on July 10, in an episode of her talk show Red Table Talk, 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 [her and Will] were 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 breaking things off with Alsina and claimed she has not spoken to him since.[32]

After Jada's use of the word "entanglement" went viral on the Internet, Alsina released a collaboration titled "Entanglements" with rapper Rick Ross on July 19, 2020, in which Alsina sings "You left your man just to f--- with me and break his heart".[33]

Discography
Main article: August Alsina discography

Awards and nominations

BET Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014[34] August Alsina Best Male R&B/Pop Artist Nominated
Best New Artist Won
"I Luv This Shit" Best Collaboration Nominated
Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award Won
2015 August Alsina Best Male R&B/Pop Artist Nominated
No Love (Remix) Best Collaboration Nominated

Tours

Headlining
  • Testimony Live[35] (2014)

Opening act

References
  1. https://www.xxlmag.com/happy-birthday-august-alsina/
  2. September 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 ...")
  3. "Interview: R&B Singer August Alsina Talks The-Dream, His Def Jam Deal & New Orleans Upbringing". Respect-mag.com. April 10, 2013.
  4. (April 8, 2013). R&B Singer August Alsina Talks Working With The Dream, Preps Def Jam Debut Archived September 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Life + Times (confirms middle name; other sources confirm he is a "junior")
  5. 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)
  6. (July 24, 2013). MTV Jams' Fab 5 List: Spotlight On August Alsina, mtv.com
  7. "American certifications – August Alsina". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  8. "Bio | August Alsina | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  9. "Moving To Houston — Who Is August Alsina?". Complex. August 20, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  10. (March 28, 2012). New Orleans' August Alsina: R&B's Next Best Man , AllHipHop
  11. (May 11, 2012). August Alsina – Music Saved My Life, Global Grind
  12. (April 10, 2013). Interview: R&B Singer August Alsina Talks The-Dream, His Def Jam Deal & New Orleans Upbringing, Respect.
  13. (June 11, 2013). Started From The Bottom, Now He's Here: August Alsina, theboxhouston.com (KBXX)
  14. (August 20, 2013). Who Is August Alsina – The Product Mixtape and Signing to Def Jam, Complex
  15. (April 15, 2012). New Music: August Alsina – The Product (Mixtape) (World Premiere), thisisrnb.com
  16. (October 11, 2011). NEW MUSIC/EMERGING ARTIST: AUGUST ALSINA – UNTITLED ACOUSTIC MIXTAPE, thisisrnb.com
  17. (February 20, 2013). New Video: August Alsina (feat. Trinidad James) – "I Luv This Shit", Vibe
  18. (April 26, 2013). Introducing August Alsina, an R&B Crooner Unafraid of Making a Masterpiece, Vibe
  19. Stovall, Calvin (May 7, 2013). Mixtape Review: August Alsina, The Product 2, Black Entertainment Television
  20. (May 15, 2013). Mixtape Of The Week: August Alsina The Product 2, Stereogum
  21. (September 16, 2013). Watch August Alsina's "Hell On Earth", The Source
  22. "freq-flip-dec-2013". Frequencynews.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  23. "BDSRadio Charts". Charts.bdsradio.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  24. "New Music: August Alsina f/ Jeezy – 'Make It Home'". Rap-Up.com. January 14, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  25. Sia, Niccole. "XXL Freshmen 2014 Cover Revealed". XXL Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  26. "This Thing Called Life by August Alsina". iTunes. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  27. Hernandez, Victoria (December 21, 2015). "Hip Hop Album Sales: August Alsina, R. Kelly & Rick Ross". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  28. "Artist Influences for August Alsina". MTV. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  29. "R&B Singer August Alsina Collapsed During His New York Show". Time.
  30. "August Alsina Hospitalized After Losing Ability to Walk". Scooptrend.
  31. "August Alsina claims Will Smith sanctioned affair with Jada Pinkett Smith". Page Six. June 30, 2020.
  32. Shafer, Ellise (July 10, 2020). "Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith Address Prior Separation, August Alsina Relationship on 'Red Table Talk'". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  33. "August Alsina Defines His 'Entanglements' to Jada Pinkett Smith on New Record With Rick Ross". Billboard. July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  34. Yahr, Emily (June 30, 2014). "BET Awards: List of winners and highlights, including Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock, Lil Wayne". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  35. "Testimony Live Tour Dates". August Alsina Official Website.
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