August Alsina

August Anthony Alsina Jr. (born September 3, 1992) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He self-released his debut mixtape The Product in 2012, which was followed by The Product 2 the following year; he signed with The-Dream's Radio Killa Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut commercial extended play (EP), Downtown: Life Under the Gun (2013). The EP marked his first entry on the Billboard 200 and was preceded by his debut single, "I Luv This Shit" (featuring Trinidad James), which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 2014 follow-up single, "No Love (Remix)" (featuring Nicki Minaj), was met with similar commercial success, also receiving double platinum certification. Both songs were issued as lead singles for Alsina's debut studio album Testimony (2014), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and saw critical praise. His second album, This Thing Called Life (2015), was less commercially-oriented, but received continued critical praise. During this time, Alsina notably guest performed on DJ Khaled's hit singles "Hold You Down" in 2014 and "Do You Mind" in 2016. After a long-tenured hiatus and departure from Def Jam, he self-released his third and fourth albums, The Product III: State of Emergency (2020) and Myself (2022). Alsina was born on September 3, 1992 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended middle school in New Orleans. 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. With both his father and stepfather battling crack çøçąįŋę ąððịçţïọŋ, Alsina's mother moved him to Houston, Texas, in search of a fresh start after Hurricane Katrinain 2005. Then, Alsina's father died.