10 Essential August Alsina Tracks

The future is bright for the talented and brash August Alsina. Somehow still only 24 years old, he is more determined than ever to elevate his art, as well as his public profile. “I’m so focused that sometimes I feel like I don’t need to eat," he said last year in an interview with The Breakfast Club.

We've selected one song from each of the New Orleans singer's eight projects, plus one of his old YouTube videos and a brand new track. Click through the image gallery to listen to a few highlights from the full course of his career.

lsina decided he wanted to be a singer after hearing Lauryn Hill perform “His Eye Is On The Sparrow." He began posting to his still-active YouTube channel in 2007 at age 14. His first post: a cover of Lyfe Jennings' "Hypothetically." (Alsina is a huge Lyfe Jennings fan.)

He described YouTube as "raw" to Respect Mag:

The people at YouTube got a chance to watch me grow. I feel like the connection with a lot of people on YouTube that follow me is something special because they watched me grow from a youngin’ — from 14 with no tats to now tatted up, just growing into a young man. I give YouTube a lot of credit because it helped me grow and helped me find who I am."

"Trust Issues" | Untitled (2011)

In 2011, Alsina packed up and moved to Atlanta to pursue music. He released his untitled/self-titled six-track debut mixtape shortly after his 19th birthday. "Trust Issues," a cover of the Drake song of the same name, demonstrates the raw vocal talent Alsina possessed at the outset of his career.

"Sucka" feat. Lloyd | The Product (2012)

Maybe the most important song from the first chapter of Alsina's career, "Sucka" argues that love creates more problems than it solves. Alsina's are fighting words, and he has a sympathizer in New Orleans big bro Lloyd. "Love, that four letter word will have you sick," Lloyd sings, "And love will have a nigga losing it."

"Hard Knocks" | August Alsina University (2012)

"Hard Knocks" represents a departure from August Alsina, angsty, traditionalist R&B crooner, in pursuit of August Alsina, pop radio tour de force. The Chris Brown and Usher influence is evident.

"Slow Motion" | Throwback (2012)

The quickest way for young singers to get noticed is to record covers of popular songs and post them to YouTube. Just ask William Singe. But clearly the master of this formula is not Singe but August Alsina, whose transformation of Juvenile's "Slow Motion" is nothing short of sublime.

"I Luv This Shit" feat. Trinidad James | The Product 2 (2013)

Alsina connected with Trinidad James through an unlikely intermediary: an Atlanta tattoo parlor called City of Ink. This was around the time "All Gold Everything" was blowing up and James was the toast of the town. With a peak of #49 on the Hot 100, "I Luv This Shit" is Alsina's highest-charting single to date.

"Ghetto" feat. Rich Homie Quan | Downtown: Life Under the Gun (2013)

"Ghetto" is a tribute to all the beautiful ladies from the hood:

"Cause you ain’t got a half a million dollar condo
And you ain’t got a hundred thousand dollar car
But you got a billion dollar body"

"Benediction" feat, Rick Ross | Testimony (2014)

Testimony is Alsina's strongest project by a wide margin. We decided to spotlight "Benediction" over songs like "No Love" and "Make It Home" because it frames his rags-to-riches triumph in religious terms. The song is mostly just Alsina congratulating himself, but the implicit nod to a higher power injects the track with just the right amount of humility.

"Song Cry" | This Thing Called Life (2015)

Alsina's stunning "Song Cry" gives Jay Z's "Song Cry" a run for its money as the best "Song Cry" ever made. Who has the "Song Cry" title belt -- August or Hov?

"Drugs" | Drugs (2017)

Alsina kicked off 2017 by releasing "Drugs," the woozy title track from his upcoming third studio album. He spoke on the inspiration behind the album title on Instagram: “I realized how addicted to certain ways of living life I was, addicted to chaos, drama, confusion," he said. “Lately, for me, 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.”