R&B singer and hip-hop singer August Alsina is our #AOTW on the show today. If you are a fan of Alsina you’d know he’s been through a lot of health issues in his relatively short career. At some point report had it that after he won two BET Awards, his career took off but came to crash since 2014 when he fell off stage during a concert in New York City. But now it all appears as though he’s back on grind. In July 2019 Alsina posted a video of himself in a hospital bed that he had lost sensation in both of his legs following a flare-up of his a hereditary autoimmune disease. He said he woke up one day and found himself wasn’t able to walk, couldn’t feel his legs, and ended up being admitted into the hospital. He said he was also battling a liver disease stemming from that condition at the time. Later in September he gave an update on his health via Instagram was improving. He even uploaded an uplifting hymn for others who may be going through a hard time as well.
Yeah right! Alsina has refused let health challenges take over his music talent. Earlier in December 2019, he returned with a brand new song titled ‘Today’. Now we take you through his music journey so far. The American R&B singer songwriter, record producer best known for the hit single “I Luv This Sh*t” was born August Anthony Alsina, Jr on 3rd September 1992 (27) in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. As a child Alsina attended middle school in New Orleans. In 2007 when he was 14, he first did a cover to the song “Hypothetically” by Lyfe Jennings and uploaded videos to YouTube after he was inspired by Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2. After the death of his brother, he relocated to Atlanta in 2011 where kicked start his music career in full force. He was previously signed to Def Jam Recordings. He was reported in 2019 to have left the label and will releasing music independently through distribution from EMPIRE.
He said “I was watching Sister Act 2 and I saw Lauryn Hill and I was like, “Damn, that’s dope.” I wanted to do it and I just stuck with it”. He came from a family that has a thing for hard drug (cocaine crack) especially his late father as well as his stepfather. His father died as a result of addiction and health problem. In an interview with theboxhouston.com in 2013 he said no one in his family has ever sung or “musically inclined or played any instruments”. Alsina quit high school in his senior year and around the same time he was kicked out of home by his mother. Just days before August’s 18th birthday, his older brother Melvin La’Branch III was shot and killed in New Orleans East on August 31, 2010. While in Atlanta, he premiered a mixtape called “Untitled” with six acoustic covers In October 2011; dropped his first major mixtape The Product in April 2012.
In January 2016, he released the single “I Luv This…” featuring his label mate Trinidad James followed by another mixtape titled The Product 2 in May and EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun in August of the same year (2013). He finally came through with his first studio album Testimony in April 2014. The album was well received by everyone. We push play for song #4 right now!
No. 4: Ghetto feat. Rich Homie Quan (American singer songwriter/rapper)
it was the 3rd single from his debut EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun and the most added song on urban radio the week ending December 12, 2013 in the United States. It was one of the 6 singles that supported Alsina’s debut album Testimony also)
Still on Alsina’s debut album –Testimony. The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and hit the R&B top ten in the UK. It features guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Yo Gotti, B.o.B, Rich Homie Quan, Trey Songz and Def Jam label-mates Pusha T, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Jeezy and Trinidad James. In December 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), “Song Cry”, “Been Around the World” (featuring Chris Brown) and “Dreamer”.
In 2017, Alsina told fan he was working on his third studio album. He first released the singles Drugs in January 2017. He dropped two singles: Lonely on June 1st and Don’t Matter on June 6th 2017. According to billboard.com in November 2017, the “New Orleans native has released four singles in preparation of his album: “Wait,” “Lonely,” “Don’t Matter” and “Drugs.” After so much delay in the album release, Alsina called out his record labe at the time- Def Jam Recordings on social media over the delay saying: “I would love to put my album out but DEF JAM is holding it/me hostage because the system is not up & running until next year so they basically dont exist,” he wrote replying to a fan. “The label is just TRASH …I will release free music soon but that has been the hold up. Tell Them to FREE ME & the Album.”
No. 3: No Love (Remix) ft Nicki Minaj off (Testimony album was nominated at the 2015 BET Awards in the category Best Collaboration but did not win. The original song peaked at peaked at #69 in November 2014)
No. 2: Drugs (2017 song)
This has been track from his yet to release third studio album. Talking about the song in an Instagram post in January 2017, he said he “realized how addicted to certain ways of living life” he was, “addicted to chaos, drama, confusion,” and that for him at the time “it’s been about breaking the cycle and creating a new normal. That new normal is love. I have a newfound addiction. Through love and beautiful women, I’ve been able to find myself, reach higher places within myself.”Actually the dude has a thing for girls and it’s one of the thing he said he ever regrets because it’s huge a weakness for him.
Earlier in December 2019 August Alsina returned with that stunning record. The single is set to appear on his upcoming project, expected to release top of 2020. It’s a summary of his struggles and determination to stay positive regardless.) Since he kicked off his music he’s only released two albums with his third album yet to release. He’s done a lot of collaborations with heavy weights in the industry. In April 2019, he did a new remix of Khalid’s “Talk. He and Ty Dolla $ign released “Control” in Feb 2019. He dropped the single “Like You Love Me” in December 2018. How about the “Gucci Gang” Remix of December 2017.
Do you guys remember DJ Khaled’s – Do You Mind Feat. Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Future, August Alsina, Jeremih & Rick Ross of July 2016? Another one!! Been Around The World Feat. Chris Brown in December 2015. Guys! The list is endless. He’s got a documentary titled ‘stateofEMERGEncy’ which hiphop-n-more.com previously announced in December 2019 as upcoming
No. 1: “I Luv This Shit” feat Trinidad James
(This is Alsina’s breakthrough song and his most successful single as well his highest-charting single to date, peaked at #43 on the chart in 2013, originally recorded for his mixtape The Product 2 of 2013, won a BET Awards in 2014)
He had his label mate Trinidad James hop on that jam back in 2013 and it was a vibe. Both of them teamed up for this song after both of them got tatted at the same tattoo shop and got connected more through some friends. He called him to the studio, played him the record and he hopped on it. Alsina said the lifestyle Trinidad embodies is everything the song is about.
CONTROVERSY
- Earlier in January 2020, Vlad TV reached out to August Alsina via Twitter to schedule an interview”Let’s do another interview @AugustAlsina,” Vlad tweeted. August response was cold as if there was a previous biff “*Interrogation I heard you the feds on low?” August’s fans started commenting their opinions in favour of the artists also. Vlad didn’t expect such response so it tweeted back simply saying: “Lol… you really believe that nonsense?” Vlad TV is owned by the American interviewer, journalist and former DJ Vlad. He’s got a YouTube channel, djvlad, where he features interviews with multiple music artists and entertainers.
- In 2019, August Alsina responded to a fan who called him gay after sharing a video of himself singing for the gram. So a hater tried to drag him and call him gay, August came through with a sharp response saying: “Imagine being a bull dagging butch,”He added: We’re days away from 2020. Yal folks gotta stop using Gay as some type of slur & term of degradation. Especially when it’s who & what YOU are. Take a look in the mirror & Learn to love yourself.”
- It was once rumoured that he was having an affair with Jada Pinkett but he once said in 2018 that while he battled drug, alcohol and pill addiction, she was the one who saved him. In 2014, he collapsed on a stage in New York City after his show. He was in a coma for three days. He said: “I was drinking so much liquor, smoking so much weed, and just one night at a show in New York I literally passed out and like in the middle of a show and fell off the stage,”
- com in March 2018 listed him as one of the 8 bad boy R&B singers describing his person as having a temper stemming from his controversial appearance on 106 & Park in 2014 where he snapped on host, Keshia Chante for asking about Trey Songz during an interview.
FACT
- Alsina August once said a groove type of artist. He said his music “straightforward and in your face”. His kind of music is said to generally fall into the Alternative R&B category that predominantly involves fusions with Hip-hop. He said past and present artists that inspire him to make music include: Tupac. He said Tupac “made an impact on the world and he changed a lot of people’s lives. No matter how much people may talk bad about him, what he was doing was for the people. I salute him and if I could have ever did a song with anybody it would be Pac.” His musical influences are Usher and Lyfe Jennings.
- His likes and dislikes most about music industry according to him, the fact that the industry allows him the opportunity to do what he loves while he dislikes an artist signing up to put him/herself “out there in front of people to be judged”. He thinks this get people “confused” because think that artists try to impress them. But he’s “really never been that type of person who cares what other people think” of him he said
About His Health
- August Alsina battle with liver disease has been longtime coming and it’s sort of an hereditary. He disclosed this in May 2017 during a candid conversation with actress Jada Pinkett-Smith regarding his troubling health conditions. He said “I have a liver disease where my autoimmune system is fighting against itself. Reality is I’m sick all the time. I’d really like to talk about it and I’m not looking for anybody’s sympathy”. He added that it’s been explained to him that the sickness & illness runs in his family. That his father & grandfather both died of severe illness.
- com once reported “August Alsina is going blind. He has a degenerative eye disease that is steadily worsening”.
AWARD AND NOMINATION
- At the 2014 BET Awards August Alsina got 2 nominations: Best New Artist and Best Male R&B/Pop Artist categories but won Best New Artist. His song “I Luv This Shit” was also nominated for the same awards the same year in two categories: Best Collaboration and Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award. It won the latter
- At the 2015 BET Awards both Alsina and his song No Love (Remix) were nominated in the Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Best Collaboration respectively. Neither won
