Meaningful songs and music videos:

When doing research on some rappers, I have come across many different styles and techniques. Usually rap songs are about money, sex, alcohol, drugs etc. whereas August Alsina raps and sings about things that have happened to him by expressing it through his songs. After listening to one of his songs ‘mama’ I decided to make more research about this artist to find out more about him and his life.

August Alsina:

Research on August Alsina:

August Anthony Alsina was born on September 3rd 1992 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. August is an American recording artist, rapper and R&B singer who started his career at the age 14 when he attended middle school. August had a tough childhood as he grew up in a tough neighbourhood, had a tough time at home, family who had troubles and had to deal with many deaths. August grew up watching his father and step father battling cocaine addiction, grew up to many gang attacks and grew up to associate himself around those people and be danger of ending in prison and even death which is when August moved to Houston, Texas with his mother 2005. However, August’s behaviour hasn’t changed and only got worse and started fighting his mother which is when he was kicked out of home. In 2010, is when his brother got shot and murdered which is when August decided to dedicate himself to music.

August relocated himself to Atlanta in 2011 where he released his first mixtape.
In 2013, he released his single ‘I Luv This Sh*t’ which reached No. 48 on the US Billboard Charts.
He then released his second mixtape, The Product 2, in 2013.
August released his EP, Downtown: Life Under The Gun, in 2013 and the video for ‘Hell on Earth’.
His song ‘Ghetto’ featuring Rich Homie Quan, was the most added song on urban radio the week it was released.
In 2014, August released his first album, Testimony which debuted at No. 2.

In 2014, August collapsed at his concert on September at Irving Plaza in New York City where he experienced seizures. After this, August was entered into the ICU and experienced a 3-day-coma which is when he was declared fine and was let out of the hospital.

‘I Luv This Shit’ by

August Alsina

33,830,865 views

Testimony (August Alsina album)

First-week sales of 67,000

Best known for:

August Alsina was best known as a singer/rapper with songs like ‘Hold You Down’ and ‘I Luv This Sh*t’.

‘Hold You Down’ by

August Alsina

149,232,798 views

Interesting songs by August Alsina:

Mama by August Alsina:

Mama is a song dedicated to August’s mother where he sings to her about making it through the hard times and through the battles such as the time when his brother died or when he was involved in the gang attacks- he made it out of that life and became a better person this relates to his words when he says ‘Mama I made it and I hope I made your proud’. This song is very significant as his mum was always telling him to stay away from the trouble and always tried to raise him correctly but August didn’t listen and started doing very bad things which is when his mum was very upset with him, this is why this song was written- to say thank his mum for all the lessons that he took on board and even though she’s still upset with him, he wants her to know that he made it. Songs like these are much more effective because when the rapper dedicates a song to people they love it makes the audience more interested in them and make them want to get to know them more. Mama also relates to another of his songs- ‘Song Cry’ which is one of his most recent songs that became very significant as it expresses how he feels- which makes August become real and come out with his real feelings and away from the media.

SONG CRY by August Alsina:

LYRICS:

The words of this song are very powerful as he sings about his past and presence. He sings about his emotional state to show people how he really feels rather than what people see in the music videos and that he makes and in social media. August sings about people not being real towards him, how people are fake by smiling and laughing with him but behind his back, they’re hating on him and his success. He then says ‘I can’t hold back these tears, let me cry. They say a man ain’t supposed to cry’ this verse gives the audience an idea that he can no longer deal with his emotions and what he has been through which leads to tears and pain, this gives a message to people that it’s okay to cry even if you’re a male- there’s nothing wrong with that. It also gives a message that the society expects celebrities and artists to be happy because they have everything they want, however August explains that their life isn’t as perfect as the media presents it to be. He then says ‘ima let this song cry, ima let my soul cry through these words’ and ‘sometimes I need to cry just to ease my hurt’, these verses explain that August will sing how he’s feeling through the song as he’s doing what he loves and that may be the only way he’ll feel better- by exposing his feelings through the song and the words which will make him feel better later on as he needs to cry to let all his emotions out.

The most effective part of the song is ‘every rose needs the rain sometimes’ as this explains that the most special, beautiful people cry and also represents tears as a natural thing because roses and rain are natural. August presents himself as being fake around the social media life when he says ‘I may be crying now, but I’ll be laughing later’ which shows that he has to hide his feelings by faking his smile and laughter when really all he wants is for people to see and understand how he really feels and accept him that way. He then opens up about his personal life by saying 'What am I supposed to do? Hold it all together when I think of you? When in my heart I'm thinking you were gone too soon. May you rest in peace, yet I can't sleep’ which shows how badly he’s coping with the death of his brother which shows the audience that he’s going through a lot and through a lot of pain this explains how close him and his brother were. Another thing he opens up about is his family by saying ‘cause my bloods and my cousins hate me, I tried to buy my mama’s love she don’t appreciate it’ which is another experience that he’s going through- not having his closest around him when he needs them the most, it also shows how bad he was when he was young that his mother even finds it hard to forgive him which is why he is feeling the way he says he is.

SONG CRY by August Alsina:

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS:

The location/mise en scene of the music video is at a desert-like place with no one around: which symbolizes his current situation about being alone and not having anyone understanding how he feels. He is carrying/pushing the bike suggesting the pain he’s carrying and all the struggles he’s been through. It then shows August Alsina stopping with the bike and no longer being able to push it and the use of framing of the camera makes it seem as if it was an introduction to his life story. Through medium-full shots we then see August sitting on the bike, which symbolizes his current situation: giving up on all his thoughts and pain (which is the bike) and lets the tears out (which is when he gives up with pushing the bike and sits on it). The uses of long shots when he pushes the bike allows the audience to see the mise en scene at the same time which shows that he has on one to help him out with carrying his bike therefore symbolizes that he has no one to help him with his problems and pain. There is also a sunset which gives the idea of something ending as it’s the end of the day, in this instance it could be the end to faking his feelings and constantly feeling down due to the dark colours. There are many slow camera movements, which represents that he’s sensitive and very emotional which is why the camera moves so slow to show his current state. Whilst the camera moves like this, there are many close-ups of August, which allows the audience to see his current state through his facial expressions, which shows him being upset. We can also see him wearing glasses which explains that he’s seeing everything negatively because of what he has been through and feels depressed about it, it also means that he doesn’t want people to see him cry which is why he’s wearing glasses to hide.

When August is outside the motel, it symbolizes that he wants to be far away from people and be alone so that nobody sees how he feels and no one seeing him cry. The fact that he’s at a Motel suggests that he’s only there for some time suggesting that he eventually has to go back to the fame: social media, celebrity life and pretend again. When August stands outside the Motel, the rain is pouring as he stands under the roof which explains his current feelings: depression and stress whilst the rain represent his tears. The fact that it’s nighttime represents that he likes the dark as no one can see him, which is when he’s able to be himself and cry. It also symbolizes that he might not find any way out for him as he’s completely lost in his own problems and thoughts. The Motel sign is mostly visible during the night as its light is turned on this means that August might mostly feel comfortable in the dark rather than during the day when the sun is out. There are also some slow motions used when the rain drops and hits the ground which explains how he’s feeling: that he’s lost and has been in this position for a long time.

The shots of when he’s in one of the motel rooms show some close-ups and medium close-ups of him sitting on the bed with his eyes shut which represents that he’s constantly deeply in his thoughts not being able to take action. It also shows rose petals raining down inside the room around August, which relates to his verse: ‘every rose needs the rain sometimes’ symbolizing purity and the beauty when people cry. There are also many close-ups of the ‘beats’ speakers with rose petals around him which symbolizes his love and passion for music and the fact that he’s sitting in the room with his eyes shut looks as if he’s listening to music through the speakers showing that he likes to be alone and listen to songs. Also the clothes that he wear are constantly black and dull which represents his emotions and feelings and sets a sad mood.

Later on, we see August Alsina writing on a piece of paper: fear, hurt, defeat, pain, pride, jealousy, guilt, HATE, NEGATIVITY, we then see a medium close-up shot of August in the coffin with the piece of paper rolled, holding it in his hands, which means that these are all of the things that may lead to depression, sadness and even death (suicide) which also relates to the scene of him being under the water in attempts of committing suicide.

We also see a close-up shot of August laying down on the bed when the scene changes to him in all white clothes laying on rose petals which symbolizes a dream or would symbolize heaven (idea of all-white). Also, there are a change of scenes between the close-up shots of the coffin and shots of the piece of paper. Later on, we then see the coffin burning with huge fire which suggests that the piece of paper was thrown in the coffin to be burnt and suggests that he wants to get rid of the old him as we saw his body in the coffin before. It could also mean when August Alsina is singing over the coffin, he is dead and is watching himself die. The fact that the fire is so strong and big symbolizes the need of getting rid of all the negativity as it might lead to danger/death. When the coffin is burning, there are explosions of it to represent freedom and putting an end to these feelings and finally feelings peace, love and happiness. From the long shots near the coffin, August is wearing full white clothes which still suggests that he’s in a dream wishing that he was free from all these feelings and emotions he’s going through which symbolizes freedom, purity and peace as he’s now feeling happy which allows him to show his eye- clear glasses.

There are also some close-ups and medium close-ups shots of August near an owl. These shots are very powerful as owls are known for having a binaural hearing, binocular vision, sharp talons and feathers for silent flight. This represents August as a person who is able to see a good perception of depth, being able to listen to noisy, complex environments and to socialize sound sources this shows that August can see and hear many things that are going on around him for example this relates to his verse ‘they be the main ones, smile up in your face but behind your back they hate’ which shows that he sees and observes many things. Also the binaural hearing allows people to hear in noisy places which in August’s situation it would be the media/society world where he observes who’s real and who’s only about the fame.

The sharp talons relates to August being strong and stable by holding on and not giving up just like owls hold on with their sharp claws and when they make attacks. The feathers for a silent night represents August as a quiet person who doesn’t like to bring too much attention to himself. It also means that he likes to get away from everyone without anyone knowing, the fact that they’re silent means that August keeps quiet about what he sees: he sees a lot but doesn’t say anything. This idea relates to the verse that he sings when there are scenes of him and the owl whilst he’s singing ‘I figured maybe Jay or Cole or Drizzy Drake would drop a verse an tell the people how we hurting, guess I was mistaken’ which are famous rappers in the media world and August tries to say that he thought they would rap something real, honest and the truth when really they just care about the fame which relates to the idea of seeing and hearing many things but not saying anything.

The shots of the ballerina dancing which represents purity, freedom and happiness which is shown through medium close-ups and full shots. The shots at the end of the video where August cries out blood which is powerful as some people may not understand how he feels which is why he is showing the situation to the audience visually.

Throughout the music video there are no special effects and not that many edits which means that August wanted everything to look and be real rather than concentrating on something fake and edited. There are also no specific camera angles such as low or high camera angles instead everything is kept on the same level which symbolizes not being judged and being at the same level. August also doesn’t seem to look into the camera much as if he doesn’t want us to see him cry and doesn’t care to promote himself as an artist in he media world but for the audience to see and understand his current situation.

AUGUST ALSINA: ALBUM COVER ANALYSIS

The album is about the artist going through many things throughout life, for example he sings about being forgiven for his sins in many songs throughout his album. He also sings about his religion/faith in God which strongly relates to the album cover.

The title of the album is called ‘Testimony’ which the audience gets a rough idea of what it may be about as the word ‘Testimony’ is a form evidence that is obtained from a witness who makes a honest statement or declaration of fact: it can be oral or written or sang. Therefore, from the title, August Alsina is trying to tell us that throughout the album, he’ll be stifling in some of his songs which is what his first song is titled: ‘Testify’ this wold also links to the biblical concept which talks about the spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost of the truthfulness of the gospel: being truthful towards God. Also, the audience will understand it’s linked to religion and the idea of having faith in God as the letter ‘T’ is shaped like a Cross suggesting that he’s coming out in front of God- being truthful and honest and being forgiven for his sins.

Also, the colour of the title is khaki which is a shade of brown and brown is a natural colour, down to earth neutral colour which is found in earth, wood, stone, which shows another dark colour on the background of the title. This maybe suggests that August Alsina is a down to earth person who is a little on the dull side e.g. depression, stress but is also very friendly. The title also has lines coming from the title which looks very artistic making the lines look like they’re flying, this makes August seem pure, free and makes it seem as if he wants to fly which brings the idea of heaven and religion. The lines also make an infinity sign over the Cross which symbolises eternity, empowerment and everlasting love which is what August wants, has or wishes for. Another aspect of the title that is interesting is the font which is very old-fashioned- like, which could mean that August prefers to be simple and real- not fitting in, in the modern world.

Another thing that stands out in the title, is that his name is written near it. The title is very visible as it’s white which stands out from the brown background. This could suggest that he’ s original and wants to differ- stand out from the rest, it could also mean that he doesn’t want to be forgotten, he wants to be remembered and be an inspiration to other people. The fact that his name is in white, could symbolise that he’s pure, has faith, is free etc.

In the image, things become much more clearer as he has his head down in front of a Cross praying, which idea about testifying- being religious and being forgiven for the sins that he made. We can also see that whilst August is praying, he has his eyes shut suggesting that he’s deep in his thoughts and really means what he says to God (testifying). He also has a chain with a Cross around his neck suggesting that his faith never fades- he’s always praying and isn’t scared to show people his belief in God. The dark clothes that he’s wearing could also symbolise how he’s feeling- depressed and emotionally unstable, which is why he’s asking for forgiveness because he might feel bad for all the things he has done previously or can’t handle some life experiences. This point backs it up with the songs in the album when he sings about all the bad things he has done that gave his mum more stress e.g. trying to fight with her or getting with the gangs, police, drugs etc. and also the life experiences he went through that he can’t forget e.g. his brother dying that he greatly misses as every song relates to his brother.

The mise en scene shows that he’s in a church which is blurred out. The fact that he’s in a church suggests that he has found a home- where he can go to, to feel safe and honest. The fact that the background is blurred suggests that he’s dreaming of things, whenever he’s praying he feels much safer as he blocks his whole problems from life and concentrates on being forgiven and becoming a better person.