The Untold Truth Of August Alsina

August Alsina's name reached the top of headlines after Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband Will Smith sat down on an episode of Red Table Talk and publicly hashed out the details surrounding a relationship Jada entered into with Alsina while married to Will. According to the couple, they had no choice but to approach the situation head-on after Alsina did an interview with Angela Yee and professed his undying love for Jada. "I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really deeply love and have a ton of love for her," the singer declared in the interview. 

But there's so much more than meets the eye when it comes to the young singer who's now infamous for his "entanglement" with a famous married woman. Alsina is no stranger when it comes to weathering storms, including the tragic loss of loved ones, personal struggles with addiction, and even serious health problems — all while rising to stardom via his budding music career. Keep reading to learn the real story of August Alsina.

Interestingly enough, August Alsina's childhood story is somewhat similar to that of Will Smith's character on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — except Alsina had no rich uncle living in Bel-Air to magically swoop in and gift him with a better life. 

Alsina talked candidly in a 2013 interview with Complex about growing up in the rough part of town in New Orleans. According to Alsina, both his father and stepfather were addicted to drugs, while his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet. 

"My pops, we didn't have the best relationship because he was struggling with drug addiction, and you know that's just pretty much what it is," Alsina revealed. "That just take over your whole body that you really don't just have no control over. My step-pops actually been around since I was one year old. Since he's been in my life he was battling a drug addiction as well." 

August Alsina is all too familiar with heartbreak, as he learned to cope with the loss of loved ones early in life. As reported by BET, Alsina's brother Melvin LaBranch III was tragically shot and killed only three days before August's 18th birthday. Alsina told Complex in 2013 that Melvin all but predicted his own untimely passing, saying, "My brother said this before he died. He was like, 'Man, we from New Orleans, we don't make it to live past 24.'"

Alsina was left to grieve yet again in December 2018 when the R&B artist announced via Instagram that he lost his sister, Chandra, to a tough battle with cancer, per People. Alsina shared a montage of photos of his sister, a mom of three, along with a lengthy and heartfelt caption. "First they killed Mel, Now Cancer has stolen you. What is life?" the caption read.

Unfortunately, it wasn't only August Alsina's father and stepfather who suffered from substance abuse issues. Alsina has also experienced those demons firsthand. 

As reported by People, Alsina appeared on an episode of Red Table Talk in 2018 and admitted to being addicted to the pain killer, Percocet. During the show, Alsina credited the Smith family, and Jada in particular, for playing an integral role in helping him get clean. "You called me and literally broke down about it. To feel your emotion and hear you bawling, that was really a reality check for me," Alsina confessed.

Even after kicking his addiction, Alsina experienced yet another setback in 2019 when he was hospitalized and diagnosed with nerve damage due to a pre-existing autoimmune disorder, per People. The R&B singer took to Instagram to alert all of his fans. "I woke up one day and wasn't able to walk," Alsina matter of factly explained in his post. 

Alsina may have been down, but he quickly reminded his fans not to count him out just yet. He wrote, "My autoimmune disease is raging, but I'm fighting this thing & on my mission to shake back & be able to make it up to you!" Even after all of life's hardships and difficulties, Alsina is committed to rising above no matter what.