In the last four months, August Alsina has topped the R&B charts with his debut Testimony, won two BET Awards, and is currently headlining his first tour. Rap-Up TV caught up with the 21-year-old New Orleans crooner during the L.A. stop of his “Testimony Live” tour at the House of Blues to discuss his wins including a collaboration with Nicki Minaj on his latest single “No Love.”
He was the one who reached out to Nicki, and it turns out she was a big fan of the song. The two recently shot a video with director Benny Boom.
“Nicki was very, very deeply involved with this one in particular, as far as the video goes,” said August. “She had a vision for it and she really, really is a big fan of the record, which was real important to me because it makes it that much more special.”
While he hasn’t started work on his sophomore album, August plans to incorporate his new experiences. “I haven’t really stepped foot into the studio yet,” he said. “I’m outchea workin’, outchea livin’ a little more, so I guess when I do step in, I have a few things to talk about. It’s just a new world, new life, new livin’, new experiences. I’m gettin’ older. I wanna make sure I take my time with it and actually be in a place where I can put my all and my everything into the studio.”
He recently collaborated with Chris Brown on DJ Khaled’s single “Hold You Down,” and there may be more collaborations to come. “Chris is the bro. That’s the homie,” he said. “I was just with him the other day going through music and I think that type of shit just naturally happens or naturally comes about ’cause we kick it more than anything and then it’s like, ‘Oh, shit ni**a. I got this song. Wanna hop on it?’ We’ve been vibin’ to some shit, so you never know.”
Plus, hear him weigh in on the Michael Brown shooting.