Hip-Hop Crooner August Alsina Sets April 15th Release For TESTIMONY, Debut Album On NNTME/ Def Jam Recordings

TESTIMONY's FIRST ADVANCE SINGLE IS "MAKE IT HOME" FEATURING JEEZY CO-WRITTEN BY THE EXCLUSIVES AND PRODUCED BY THE FEATHERSTONES

ALSINA TO JOIN 2 CHAINZ ON "2 GOOD TO BE T.R.U." U.S. TOUR

AUGUST ALSINA's DEF JAM DEBUT EP DOWNTOWN: LIFE UNDER THE GUN INCLUDES #1 URBAN HIT "I LUV THIS SH*T"

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Def Jam Recordings

Jan 15, 2014, 04:04 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Orleans newcomer August Alsina offers an inspirational tale of surviving one of America's most treacherous cities with TESTIMONY, his debut album on NNTME/ Def Jam Recordings. To be released on April 15^th, TESTIMONY contains the single "Make It Home" featuring fellow Def Jam artist Jeezy, which was co-written by The Exclusives and produced by the Featherstones. Listen to the single HERE. TESTIMONY builds on the success of Downtown: Life Under The Gun, August's debut EP, which includes the #1 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop smash "I Luv This Sh*t" featuring Trinidad James.

The release date of TESTIMONY carries major personal significance for August; April 15^th was the birthday of his older brother, Melvin LaBranch III, who inspired August to pursue music. Tragically, Melvin was gunned down on the New Orleans streets in 2010, just days before August's 18^th birthday. The murder remains unsolved. TESTIMONY is dedicated to Melvin's memory and includes features from Jeezy and Yo Gotti. Producers on the album include the Featherstones, Knucklehead, Eric Hudson, Drumma Boy, Jasper Cameron, The Exclusives, and Cassius Jay.

TESTIMONY's motivational undercurrent deals graphically with August's past hardships—serious family issues including death, homelessness and addiction. "As an artist," August reflects, "I struggle with how much of myself to give to the people. How much I want my personal business to be judged. I think the EP struck a good balance of who I am and what I've been through, but that was just the beginning. Nothing is held back on TESTIMONY. When people hear my story, and see that I came from nothing, they'll see that it's possible for them too."

Downtown: Life Under The Gun includes the smash single "I Luv This Sh*t;" its video hit BET's 106 & Park as a New Joint, and was then added to BET, MTV2 and MTV Jams permanently. An explosive "I Luv This Sh*t" remix, featuring Chris Brown and Trey Songz and produced by Knucklehead, is also available on iTunes. The EP also includes "Downtown" featuring Kidd Kidd, "Let Me Hit That" featuring fellow NOLA native Curren$y, and "Ghetto" featuring Rich Homie Quan. The video premiere for "Ghetto" coincided with August's October U.S. television debut on the syndicated Wendy Williams Show. The song now totals over 3.2 million YouTube views.

August Alsina and Island Def Jam have teamed up with Cap That to launch http://CapAugustAlsina.com a new platform where fans can transform August's artwork and still images from his videos into official merchandise. CapAugustAlsina.com features the Fan Showroom, a mosaic-style discovery portal populated with products created by fans. Anyone can browse through fan created products, each one available for purchase, sharing or further customization.

Alsina will join 2 Chainz and Pusha T on the forthcoming "2 Good To Be T.R.U." national tour. The tour kicks off February 4^th in Boston and concludes March 24^th in Washington, DC.

2 Good 2 Be T.R.U. Tour Dates – with 2 Chainz and Pusha T

2/04 — Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
2/05 — New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
2/07 — Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
2/08 — Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
2/10 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
2/12 — Boise, ID @ Revolution Center
2/13 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
2/18 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
2/20 — Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
2/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
2/22 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
2/28 — Saint Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
3/01 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Theatre
3/02 — Cincinnati, OH @ Bank of Kentucky
3/13 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
3/14 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
3/17 — Saint Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
3/18 — Miami Beach, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason
3/20 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
3/22 — Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
3/24 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club