August Alsina went from YouTube fame to homelessness to hit singles. After releasing chart-topping songs like, “I Luv This S**t,” Pitchfork website described him as a “rapper in an R&B singer’s body.” But just as he quickly entered the music scene, he up and disappeared until he surprised us with the release of his 2020 studio album.
No good memories
August Anthony Alsina Jr. was born on September 3, 1992, in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner. According to USA TODAY, his father was an addict, so his mom decided it was time to move away from him. She packed up August, his siblings and their belongings, and moved to Houston, but they would frequently travel back and forth between Louisiana and Texas.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club, August said his mom met his step-dad when he was about a year old. However, they didn’t have a fairytale relationship. In an interview with Billboard, August said both his dad and his stepdad were addicted to crack. Although he found solace at church, his home life was unstable. One day there would be lights, a TV on the wall and furniture in the living room. The next day, everything would be gone. He said, “Of all my childhood memories, I don’t have any good ones.”
Realizing his talent
After watching the 1993 film Sister Act 2 and seeing Lauryn Hill sing “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” August knew he found his calling. However, he wasn’t even sure if he could actually sing.
He told his mom about his dream of becoming an artist, but she told him he was out of his mind. However, after he grabbed one of her hymn books and sang for her, she decided to support him 100%. He started singing all the time and really gravitated toward artists like Lyfe Jennings, Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Juvenile.
Before he could really perfect his singing skills, tragedy struck on December 15, 2005, when his dad passed away. It would be the first of many losses for him.
YouTube & homelessness
According to Complex website, August created his first YouTube channel and began posting videos of himself singing after his mom bought him a webcam at the age of 14. One of his first videos is a cover of Lyfe Jennings’ song “Hypothetically.”
USA TODAY reports that at the age of 16, his mom kicked him out of the house. By that point, he was tired of dealing with the issues at home anyway. He told Complex he decided it was time to do his own thing. He said to himself, “It can’t get no worse than this. I’m just gonna be f*****g homeless and not have anywhere to go.”
A devastating loss
He stayed with one of his friends for a while and tried to continue his studies. But since he was required to wear uniforms and all of his possessions were gone, he stopped going to class entirely. From there, he got involved in the street life and started selling substances, before deciding to move back to New Orleans. His eldest brother, Melvin LaBranch III [the third], was living there as well.
August told Complex the city was known for having a fast lifestyle, with kids getting involved with selling and using substances at a very early age. His brother Melvin would tell him, “Man, we from New Orleans, we don’t make it to live past 24.” Sadly, Melvin lost his life on August 31, 2010, when a bullet struck him in the head just a block away from his home. He left behind his girlfriend Chandra and their three daughters. He was 24-years-old.
August informed Respect website that losing his brother was a wake-up call for him. He decided to leave the streets behind and pursue music. According to Fader, he moved to Atlanta in 2010 and stayed with a friend for a few months before he was able to convince his manager he was worth the investment in studio time.
Signing a record deal
He began working on his first mixtape and had dreams of signing with Cash Money Records. Luckily, his manager had a good relationship with Birdman and played him some of August’s music. August told Complex he met with Birdman and his partner Slim about three or four times. They were interested in signing him, but August said they took too long and he was anxious to get started. Def Jam was interested in him as well, and when the label’s head of A&R told August she had been watching him on YouTube ever since he was 14, he decided to sign with them in 2011.
In 2012, he released his first mixtape called The Product, which he described to Complex as him just jacking other people’s beats and adding his own lyrics. Then he dropped the song “I Luv This S**t” featuring Trinidad James in 2013.
The public loved the single and it peaked at #1 on the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The song also won the Viewers Choice Award at the BET Awards, and August took home the Best New Artist award as well.
He released his follow-up mixtape, The Product 2, in May 2013, followed by an EP just three months later. The EP reached a peak position of #68 on the Billboard 200. August finally got to work with Birdman when the Cash Money exec hopped on the “I Luv This S**t” remix.
Releasing his first album
Music lovers couldn’t wait for his next project, which turned out to be his 2014 first studio album entitled Testimony. The album got mostly favorable reviews from critics and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. According to Billboard, it sold 67,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and was eventually certified gold.
August was named as an elite member of XXL’s [Double-X-L] Freshman Class of 2014. He also signed on to be the opening act for the North American leg of Usher’s UR tour. His life appeared to be golden, but that was about to change.
Health issues
After touring with 2Chainz, August announced he would be headlining his own concerts. He headed out on the Testimony Live Tour in the summer of 2014. According to E! News, during a stop in New York, he went limp and collapsed, falling off the stage and into the crowd.
Days later, his management team reached out to XXL and revealed August was recovering in the ICU and being treated for seizures. They further explained that doctors believed exhaustion and dehydration were the cause.
Things appeared to get worse when it was reported August had been in a coma for three days. He later told The Breakfast Club his health issues stemmed from him putting other people before himself. He said he ended up having more than 10 seizures even though he had no history of them before. While comatose, the artist said he saw a vision of his late brother and that’s when he knew he would be okay.
His issues didn’t stop there, though. In May 2015, he announced he was suffering from serious eye issues. In an Instagram post, he shared that he was blind in his left eye and losing vision in his right eye and was forced to undergo surgery to prevent his eyesight from deteriorating completely.
Family drama
If his health issues weren’t enough, he was dealing with some serious family drama as well. In November 2015, he appeared on The Breakfast Club to promote his new album. Some of the songs on the album were about his family problems, his mental health issues, and his thoughts of taking his own life.
During his radio interview, he gave some insight on his relationship with his mom, adding that sometimes they wouldn’t speak for years. After his mom heard his comments, she wrote on social media she was saddened by the “lies” he told in an effort to strum up publicity for his album. She also added that August hadn’t called her on Mother’s Day, her birthday, or after he was released from the hospital.
August continued the family feud by posting text messages from a family member who accused him of letting fame and money get to his head. The family member also accused August of being responsible for his brother Melvin losing his life.
Life takes a turn
Choosing to stay focused on his career, he released his second studio album This Thing Called Life in December 2015. With features by Lil Wayne and Chris Brown, the album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 and Rolling Stone named it one of the top R&B albums of the year. It seemed like things were back on track for August, but as usual, his life took another turn.
In May 2017, he spoke in-depth with Jada Pinkett Smith about his health issues. In a series of videos posted online, he stated he was “sicker than ever” and battling liver disease and that his autoimmune system was fighting against itself.
Things appeared to get worse in July 2017 when he gave fans another update on his health. August said he woke up one morning and couldn’t feel his legs. He lost his ability to walk and had to be admitted into the hospital. His doctor told him he had nerve damage, and due to his condition, he had to cancel his appearance at that year’s Essence Festival.
Despite his condition, he still had music to share with the world. His third studio album was recorded and ready to go, but August claimed in a November 2017 tweet that Def Jam was holding his album hostage.
Exposing his addiction through his ‘friend’ Jada Pinkett Smith
August got candid during a July 2018 appearance on Jada’s Red Table Talk. He admitted after falling off the stage back in 2014, doctors prescribed him pain pills and he became addicted to them. Because he had gotten so close to the entire Smith family, he reached out to Jada for help. Jada said her entire family was helping him through his journey.
Of course, people thought there was something going on between August and Jada, but August shut those rumors down. He described her as the type of friend that everyone should have. We later found out that wasn’t the case, and they were having a full-blown affair. Yikes.
Sadly, August had more bad news to share in December 2018 when he announced that Chandra, his deceased brother’s girlfriend, passed away from cancer. In an Instagram post, he announced he had officially become a dad because he was going to raise his brother and Chandra’s three daughters as his own.
Aside from his health issues and family problems, he’s progressing forward. He reportedly obtained his GED and has dreams of attending college one day. He has yet to settle down, although he reportedly had a brief fling with Instagram model Miracle Watts. He has also released a documentary, and his third studio album The Product III: State of Emergency dropped in 2020.
We wish August all the best with his health, family, and career.
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