August Alsina

Drawing upon a childhood marked by instability and loss, August Alsina has produced some of the rawest R&B tracks in recent decades. Within a short span after posting his earliest online clips, the vocalist and composer secured a Def Jam contract that delivered the platinum-certified single "I Luv This Shit" (2013) along with the number-two-charting debut album Testimony (2014). After concluding his time on a major label, the vocalist and composer launched his independent Shake the World imprint, which issued the extended album The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy (2020) plus several follow-up singles.

August Anthony Alsina, Jr. passed his initial years in New Orleans. Following Hurricane Katrina, his mother relocated the household to Houston to distance them from the difficulties surrounding his crack-addicted father and stepfather. In 2007, during his early teens, Alsina posted covers of material by Musiq Soulchild and Lyfe Jennings that accumulated thousands of YouTube views. His domestic circumstances worsened, prompting a return to New Orleans. The fatal shooting of his brother served as a pivotal moment. Determined to hone his vocal abilities, he relocated to Atlanta in 2011 and put out several mixtapes, including The Product and August Alsina University, over the ensuing year.

In early 2013 Alsina dropped "I Luv This Shit," his first Def Jam release and lead single from The Product 2 hosted by DJ Drama. An EP for the label, Downtown: Life Under the Gun, appeared that August. The track later climbed to number 13 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart and crossed over to reach number 48 on the Hot 100. Its successor "Ghetto," featuring Rich Homie Quan, attained number 37 on the R&B/hip-hop tally. Alsina's first full-length album, Testimony, arrived in April 2014 boasting contributions from Rick Ross, Pusha T, and Fabolous and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Before year's end he had also logged prominent guest spots on DJ Khaled's "Hold You Down" and Kevin Gates' "I Don't Get Tired." Hospitalized for seizures and diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, he nonetheless resumed activity swiftly. His sophomore effort, This Thing Called Life, emerged in December 2015, debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, and was supported by singles such as "Why I Do It" (with Lil Wayne) and the charting "Song Cry."

Alsina maintained a lower profile for roughly the next twelve months. He contributed guest vocals to a few tracks, notably DJ Khaled's "Do You Mind." A series of six singles appeared across the following two years. Going fully independent in 2018, he formed his own Shake the World label through Human Re Sources distribution and generated interest in his third album via standalone tracks plus the EP Forever and a Day, released in February 2019. Following additional singles through mid-2020, he unveiled the third album The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy. The ninety-minute project featured Juicy J, Lil Wayne, and Tink and reached number 48 on the Billboard 200. In the intervals between projects, Alsina issued singles throughout 2022 including "Beautiful Way," "Yeah Yeah," and "Lied to You."