Over the weekend, August Alsina extended the conversation about his recently revealed past relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith by dropping a new song titled “Entanglements.” It features a verse from Rick Ross and is co-produced by Alsina with Xeryus L. Gittens, The Exclusives, Cardiak, Tee Romano, and OG Parker.
The track finds Alsina giving his own definition of an entanglement, which is how Pinkett Smith described their relationship on her talk show, Red Table Talk. Alsina describes the physical nature of their fling, singing:
I’m bein' honest baby, don’t want no strings attached (Uh-uh)
You just want a n-gga that’s gon' break your back (Break your back), in half
No, I ain’t ‘bout to play with that (Play with that)
You left your man to f-ck with me, just to pay him back
Meanwhile, Rick Ross also drops a few references to Pinkett Smith:
Shawty leanin' on my shoulder, got her questionin' my willpower
Jaded by her beauty, but her reputation real solid
Alsina first revealed the past relationship in late June, during an interview with The Breakfast Club’s Angela Yee. He claimed that Pinkett Smith’s husband, Will Smith, gave them permission.
“I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation, he gave me his blessing,” he said. “And I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really, deeply loved and have a ton of love for her. I devoted myself to it.”
Prior to the interview, many fans thought Alsina’s 2019 song, “Nunya,” was written about Pinkett Smith because the video features a text thread with a woman named Koren, which is Jada’s middle name. At the time, he denied the speculation and called it a “free artistic expression of a made up narrative.”
Pinkett Smith initially denied Alsina’s claims before clearing up their romantic relationship on a July 10 episode of Red Table Talk, her Facebook Watch series. She clarified that it took place four-and-a-half years ago, when she and Will were separated. “We were over,” said Pinkett Smith. “From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August.”
She also debunked Alsina’s claim that Will gave his approval to the relationship.
“One of the things I want to clear up that was kind of swirling in the press was you giving permission, which the only person who can give permission in that particular circumstance is myself,” Pinkett Smith said to her husband. “I could actually see how he would perceive it as permission because we were separated amicably and I think he also wanted to make it clear that he’s also not a homewrecker. Which he’s not."
Despite all the drama, Alsina recently told Vulture that he doesn’t have any regrets about the relationship. “I know that on this planet, there is not much harmony, and there is not much love, so when you’re actually given love, real love that you’ve never experienced, it is a gift,” he said.
Read all the lyrics to August Alsina & Rick Ross' “Entanglements” on Genius now.
