Watch August Alsina's Emotional Onstage Reunion with His Mother
August Alsina reunited with his mother Sheila Blair on Saturday (July 29), closing a chapter on their longstanding feud.
During the Houston stop on his “Don’t Matter Tour,” the R&B crooner brought his mom onstage, fell to his knees, and serenaded her with “Make It Home” off Testimony. “But if I don’t make it home tonight / Tell my mama that I love her,” he sings on the track. “Leave some flowers for my brother / Girl I love ya.”
Sheila posted photos from the emotional reunion on Instagram, explaining how the reconciliation made her feel. “In my suffering for almost 2 years not completely understanding what God was doing in my life I thank God for the pain that I had to endure to get me to a place of finding rest in him,” she wrote. “As God wanted my undivided attention from taking Melvin to division between me and August. I’m so glad I surrendered this time apart has made us see the value of love and family.”
The onstage affection acted as a peace offering for Alsina and his mother, who have seemingly been at odds for years. In 2015, Alsina claimed he did not have a family during an interview with “The Breakfast Club,” where he also addressed his issues with his mother.
“I don’t expect people to really understand the situation with my mom and her kids,” he said. “Sometimes we go years, months without talking to her. I applaud my mom for doing all that she has done for us as a parent, but I think that sometimes the mother side gets pushed to the side. I just imagine me having a kid and my kid being an artist and in a song my child sings ‘I try to buy my mama love, she don’t appreciate me.’ My reaction isn’t to go online to explain myself to the world. My reaction is…let me see what’s wrong with my child because I’m the parent and you’re the child. I feel like a regular person to my mom, not her son.”
Blair responded on Instagram at the time. “So I listened to the interview. I was so sadden by the lies or the road August chose to promote the album,” she wrote. “It’s always three sides to the story. How could you call and check on someone that stop talking to you since April? August didn’t call me for Mother’s Day, birthday in July. Passed out, rushed to the hospital in September, didn’t hear from him. It’s so sad that this boy is crying out for help, and his whole team is missing it.”
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But recently, Alsina appears to have made peace with his mother. Earlier this month, he wished his mother a happy birthday on Instagram. “Slowly learning to love in ways I never knew existed.. All so I can give it right back to you,” he wrote. “Happy birthday my black QUEEN. You are Strength, You are pain, Yin&Yang, A Woman forced to play BOTH roles. You are Beauty, You are Love, You Are LovED. I am your Protection, I am your Reflection. You are an Angel in the form of my Mom.”
August is currently on the “Don’t Matter Tour” with Rotimi and Tone Smith. The run is slated to end Sept. 2. In the meantime, he is also crafting his third studio album Drugs.