August Alsina has seen it all, done most of it, and is sharing his experience on his brand new album The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy.
This collection of 27 songs makes up the most urgent release to date by the New Orleans native. Among the highlights are “NOLA” and the teachable moment “Lessons,” as well as the gospel-tinged “Feeling.”
Everything on the album described as “EMERGE•and•SEE” isn’t so heavy. Alsina flexes his suave vocals on the chopped and screwed “Rounds” and the tender-street jams “Sincerely” and “Work to Do.”
Alsina recruits his handful of collaborators for The Product III including Lil’ Wayne, Yo Gotti, Juicy J, Tink and Darrel Walls.
“The goal of this project is to expose myself through the art and to help others reveal their true selves,” he wrote on Instagram. “Go back into the past, bring it into the present and positively impact our future. I want to show the community that we’ve all had to overcome some type of obstacle. Some greater than others, but pain is pain… and pain and its threshold is subjective and different from each individual.”
The five-part companion documentary to his new album is available on his official YouTube page. It gives his followers a deeper understanding of the trials and tribulations he endured throughout his life, from his health scare to overcoming homelessness.
He addresses the unspoken silence in Black culture that surrounds uncomfortable conversations. He also breaks down hood aesthetics that are related to his hometown.
The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy is the follow-up project to last year’s Forever and a Day.
Stream August Alsina’s new album The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy below.