His Beginnings
August Anthony Alsina was born September 3rd, 1992. He is a singer-songwriter
who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. At a young age, August knew his father and brother were sick.
They were addicted to crack cocaine, and after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005 his mother took him and moved to Houston, Texas for a fresh start. August’s father died shortly thereafter, and his brother was shot and killed on August 31st, 2010. At some point August’s relationship grew strained with his mother, and he moved out and focused solely on his music.
Although his family members were not musical in any way, he said that he was inspired to sing after watching Lauryn Hill sing in “Sister Act 2.” At the age of 14, August uploaded videos to YouTube of himself singing. He started with a cover of “Hypothetically” by Lyfe Jennings and continued to collect followers as the years passed and he posted more videos. In 2011 he started releasing Mixtapes.
His Music
Mixtapes Released
- Untitled- Released October 11th, 2011/ Hosted by Indy Tapes
Tracklist: You’re My Baby, Bitches in ATL, Trust Issue, E.T, How to Love, Someone Like You
- The Product- Released April 15th, 2012/ Hosted by DJ Scream
Tracklist: NOLA (2012), I’m Gone (Ft. 2Win & Trae the Truth), Drank in My Cup Remix, Party & Bullshit (Ft.CyHi The Prynce), Ode To My Project Chicks, HNFR (Hell Naw Fuckin’ Right), Sucka (Ft. Lloyd), Bad Mothafucka (Ft. 3D Na’Tee), Hands On The Wheel (Freestyle), Illest Bitch (Ft. Wale), Heavy, She Werkin’ (Ft. 2Win)
- August Alsina University- Released August 28th, 2012/ Hosted by Greg Street
Tracklist: Hard Knocks, Sucka (Ft. Lloyd), Leather So Soft by August Alsina, Pop That (Ft. Luke Skyywalker & Young Swift), Get on the Floor, Bet I (Ft. Chip), She Werkin’ (Ft. 2Win)
- Throwback- Released September 3rd. 2012/ Hosted by Wilde Wayne
Tracklist: Throwback (Ft. Juvenile), Leather So Soft, August Alsina Speaks, Ode to My Project Chick (Ft. 3D Na’Tee), 400 Degreez (Ft. Lucci Lou), Slow Motion, Wild Wayne Outro, Sucka (ft.Lloyd) [Bonus Track]
- The Product 2- Released May 6th, 2013/ Hosted by DJ Drama
Tracklist: The Product (Ft. Jazze Pha), I Luv This Shit (Ft. Trinidad Jame$), Work (Ft. Roscoe Dash), Confessions Interlude [part 1], Get Ya Money, Let Me Hit That (Ft. Curren$y), Hell Yea (Ft. Juelz Santana), Down Right Now, Shoot or Die, Downtown (Ft. Kidd Kidd), Confessions Interlude [part 2] (Ft. The Dream Bandz), FBGP [Fuck Bitches Get Paid], Inhale, Nobody Knows
“The Product” is typically recognized as August’s first mixtape since it was released first. He led up to the release of the mixtape with months of viral videos, covers, and leaks. It was released as a free download when August was 19 and delighted his fans. He released the album on 04/15 because it is the birthday of his late brother, who died from a gunshot wound in New Orleans in 2010.
On the back of the mixtape’s cover reads, “Dedicated to my big brother. R.I.P. Melvin LaBranch III, 4.15.86 – 8.31.10.” According to August, his brother inspired him to leave street life behind and make music his full-time job.
Extended Plays Released
- DownTown: Life Under the Gun- Release August 20th, 2013/ Labels- Radio Killa, Def Jam
Tracklist: Hell On Earth, Downtown (Ft. Kidd Kidd), Survival of the Fittest, I Luv This Shit (Ft. Trinidad James),Let Me Hit That (Ft. Curren$y), Ghetto (Ft. Rich Homie Quan), Don’t Forget About ME, Nobody Knows
- Forever and a Day- Released February 14th, 2019/ Label- Shake the World
Tracklist: Forever and a Day, Be Love, For You, Control, Secret, Go, Lost, Us
August’s most successful song is “I Luv This Shit” where he collaborated with Trinidad James. He won the Coca Cola Viewers’ Choice Awards for the song and in the same year, he won the BET Award for Best New Artist.
Studio Albums Released
- Testimony- Released April 15th, 2014/ Label- Def Jam
Tracklist: Testify, Make it Home (Ft. Jeezy), Right There, You Deserve, No Love, Porn Star, FML (Ft. Pusha T), Grin & Pray/Get Ya Money (Ft. Fabolous), Ghetto (Ft. Yo Gotti), Kissin’ on my Tattoos, Ah Yeah, Mama, Benediction (Ft. Rick Ross), I Luv This Shit (Ft. Trinidad James), Numb (Ft. B.O.B & Yo Gotti)
- This Thing Called Life- Released December 11, 2015/ Label- Def Jam
Tracklist: This Thing Called Life, Job (Ft. Anthony Hamilton & Jadakiss), Why I Do It (Ft. Lil Wayne), Hollywood, Hip Hop, Change, Dreamer, Been Around the World (Ft. Chris Brown), First Time, Would You Know, Song Cry, Other Side, American Dream, Look at How Far I’ve Come, The Encore
- The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy- Released June 26th, 2020/ Label- Shake the World
Tracklist: NOLA, Today, Rounds, Lessons, Sincerely, Deliver Us, RRR (Real Recognize Real), Fly Far, Feeling, Perfect Strangers, Pretty, 4real, Work to Do, Be Good, Soon As I Walk In, Tonight, Longer Sleeve, Chase, Brakes, Broken Rollie, If We Broke Up, Ready, Bossin Up, Party Til, Resent, Still Don’t Know
The EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun was released on August 20, 2013, while the video for “Hell on Earth” released September of the same year. The third single from his EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun, “Ghetto” featuring Rich Homie Quan, was the most added song on urban radio the week ending December 12, 2013.
August released “Make It Home” featuring Jeezy, as the lead single from his first studio album January 14th, 2014. At the same time of the release August announced that his long awaited full length album would be called “Testimony”. Upon the release of his debut album August received mainly positive reviews. Several critics were very impressed with August’s first studio album, and in its first week of the release it scored a 79 out of 100 on MetaCritic.
December 11th, 2015 August’s second studio album “This Thing Called Life” was released. It started out at number 14 on the Billboard 200. One June 28th, 2015 the music video was released for “Hip-Hop”, and it premiered at the 2015 BET Awards. Lil Wayne and August worked on the song “Why I Do It” together and they seem to have formed a good working relationship together, since Lil Wayne showed up on August’s third album and August has since been featured on Lil Wayne’s Apple Music show “Young Money Radio”. As is discussed on RapTV.com, Lil Wayne and August Alsina have a lot in common since they both started their music careers at a young age and they both grew up in New Orleans. This may have been enough for them to bond over when they started collaborating.
June 26th, 2020 August’s third album, The Product III: stateofEMERCEncy was released. The album debuted at number 48 on the Billboard 200. August had been working on this album for a while, calling it a continuation of his mixtape series.
BET Awards
- 2014- Nominated for Best Male R&B/ Pop Artist, Best New Artist, Best Collaboration for “I Luv This Shit” [ Won Best New Artist]
- 2015- Nominated for Best Male R&B/ Pop Artist, Best Collaboration for “No Love” (Remix)
His Entanglement
More recently August Alsina’s name has been seen in the news in conjunction with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. August has stated in a YouTube interview with Angela Lee that he had a year long relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith gave his blessing. Jada Pinkett Smith’s representatives initially denied these statements.
August claimed the relationship would have happened during Jada’s marriage to Will Smith, and according to RapTV.com August stated, “He gave me his blessing and I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life and I truly and really, really deeply loved and have a ton of love for her. I devoted myself to it. I gave my full self to it so much so to the point that I can die right now and be ok with knowing that I truly gave myself to somebody.”
He went on to say, “[T]here’s so many people that are side eyeing me, looking at me questionable about it. I’ve lost money, friendships, relationships behind it and I think it’s because people don’t necessarily know the truth but I have never done anything wrong.”
On July 10th in an episode of her talk show Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith spoke candidly with Will Smith regarding the romantic relationship that she did in fact have with August Alsina four and a half years prior. She stated that the relationship happened at a time where she and her husband were separated and she “got into a different kind of entanglement with August.”
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith both denied vehemently that Will had given August permission to proceed with the relationship, but Jada conceded that August “would perceive it as permission because we [her and Will] were separated amicably”.
Jada Pinkett Smith went on to claim that she wanted to “heal” August, but needed to focus on finding healing for herself. She and Will eventually reconciled after Jada broke things off with August and Jada says they have not made contact since.
It’s clear that there was some sort of a relationship between August and Jada Pinkett Smith, or “entanglement”, the meaning of which is discussed on RapTV.com. Whether August’s claims of a more recent relationship are true or not, he feels very strongly about his experience and he is currently in an uncomfortable place in his personal life.
His Health
As uncomfortable as his personal life seems, August has an even more uncomfortable physical ailment that he is dealing with. In 2017 August admitted that he is dealing with an autoimmune disease that attacks his liver and his eyesight. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body.
The immune system normally guards against germs like bacteria and viruses. When it senses these foreign invaders, it sends out an army of fighter cells to attack them. Like most people dealing with autoimmune diseases, it would be easy to look at August and assume that he is completely healthy on a typical day. Autoimmune diseases are some of the illnesses that fit into the group known as “invisible illnesses.”
In 2014 August was in the middle of a live show when he collapsed on stage, where he was hospitalized after suffering multiple seizures during the performance. He was in a coma for three days following the incident.
This proved to be a scary moment for him and his fans. 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 the loss of movement in his legs. “We’re doing a bunch of tests and they’re saying I have some nerve damage going on throughout my body.”
While the Instagram video is pretty direct and matter-of-fact, the caption reads, “Hiiii guys!! 😂It’s me, being my most awesome, weirdly great self. 🤦🏽♂️I’m here with the stitch 🗣 & to also apologize for not being able to make the essence fest gig last night. I take my career & your time very seriously & the fact that you guys show up for me, endlessly. Means the world! I’m man down right now, & figured I should share.. that My auto immune disease is raging, but im fighting this thing & on my mission to shake back & beable to make it up to you! I got so much 🎶NEW NEW🎶 to share w/ you!!!..& Big Love to give. ❤️Big Life, Big Dreams & every peaceful thing to you! Less stress, More Love, More Rest, & Jah Bless. 🙏🏽 know that HE’s got you even when it all feels too complex. 👁⚡️🙏🏽”
His Future
With all of the difficulties that August has gone through in his life, he seems to have been able to maintain a good sense of self and a strong spirit.
He is working hard on staying well enough to produce more content for his fans and keep the music alive.
External Links-
https://www.healthline.com/health/autoimmune-disorders
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=718425758995043
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzqvJv9gfY6/?utm_source=ig_embed
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