August learned at an early age that drugs and money could make you, or break you. With both his father and stepfather battling crack addiction, August’s mother moved their family to Houston, Texas in search of a fresh start. But Houston provided no happy ending. For years, a young August endured a home life plagued by drugs and violence. At just 14, he got word from New Orleans that is father, August Sr., lost his battle with drugs and alcohol.
In an attempt to escape his reality, August took to Youtube, where he posted dozens of homemade performance videos. His clips covering the likes of Musiq Soulchild and Lyfe Jennings went viral, generating millions of views in just over a month. It seemed that he was finally taking his first steps toward a bright future in music, but just a year later, reality hit home when his best friend was shot and killed in the streets of Houston. As quickly as August appeared, he vanished form Youtube, back to the real world. With tensions mounting, 16-year-old August was kicked out of his mother’s home. Alone, he returned to New Orleans. He bounced around between family and friends houses, but on some nights, only the corner store provided him shelter. Eventually, he took to the streets, selling drugs as a means of survival.
With his older brother also in the streets hustling, it wouldn’t be long before August learned that the addiction to money could be just as deadly as the addiction to drugs. Just days before August’s 18th birthday, his older brother was gunned down in New Orleans East, another unsolved murder in one of the nations most dangerous cities. “I never expected them [the police] to find his killer”, August explains. “People die everyday in the streets of New Orleans. Unfortunately, death has become a way of life,” but not for August. His brother’s death became his motivation to not become a statistic, but to pursue his musical aspirations on an entirely new level.
Under the guidance of NNTME MuCo, AKA Noontime, (management/production company), August relocated to Atlanta in 2011 to begin carving his own musical path, creating music in a lane that would separate him from his R&B counterparts. His experiences in life are what shaped him, so those experiences, no matter how brutally honest, positive or negative, would serve as the focal point of his artistry. In April of 2012 August teamed up with Hoodrich/MMG’s own DJ Scream for the release of his debut mixtape, ‘The Product’, which garnered him an internet and radio buzz, and spawned the Sound Mob produced single, “Sucka” featuring fellow New Orleans native, R&B crooner Lloyd. The anti-love track offers the opinion that “love is for suckas”, providing an alternative to the sappy love songs associated with today’s R&B.
This past May, Alsina returned with his second installment of ‘The Product‘ series, this time teaming up with DJ Drama and his Gangsta Grillz brand. The debut single “I Luv This Shit” finds August paired with fellow Def Jam label mate, Trinidad Jame$. The top 10 hit, produced by Knucklehead, speaks to the rebellious and, sometimes, reckless lifestyle that finds August singing words that many can relate to, “I’m way too drunk to be talking like this, I’m way too high to be trippin like this, I’m way too young to be livin like this, ask me why I do it I’ma put it like this... God Damn it, I luv it”. It’s that honest and rebellious tone that caught the ear of Cash Money CEO/Rich Gang boss, Birdman, who jumped on the remix to stamp the fellow New Orleans native.
With his buzz building, August’s next stamp would come from media giant MTV, as he was named one of 2013’s Fab 5, their annual list of hip-hop artist to watch. Exposure on the network helped to make his independent video “Downtown” ft. Kidd Kidd, a viral hit, generating nearly 1 million views in less than 2 months. The autobiographical song/visual would become the title track for Alsina’s first official NNTME/Radio Killa/Def Jam release, an 8-song EP titled, ‘Downtown: Life Under the Gun’, which offers collaborations between Alsina and the previously mentioned Jame$ & Kidd Kidd, along with NOLA veteran Curren$y, and Atlanta newcomer Rich Homie Quan. Of the EP, Alsina says, “It allows you to walk through my hood with me and see where I’m from. Don’t get it confused, this isn’t my album, just a few songs to let people know what I’m about and why I do this”.
While just 21 years old, and already a lifetime of experiences behind him, August Alsina is living proof that your past doesn’t have to dictate your future, and that life’s hardships can be the motivation required for success.
Make It Home
August Alsina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I do what I gotta do
You've been at the bottom, you see the hunger inside of you
Don't say what you won't do
Cus it can all change
When the going gets tough it'll drive you insane
See I done dodged a couple shots
Served a couple blocks
A broke a couple rules
Didn't graduate from school
Cus I was busy hustling, man, I thought that shit was cool
See I gotta keep it real with you baby
Cus the shit I used to do is what made me
And I'm hopin I ain't gotta go back to the trap
Cus we really know that we don't want that
But if I don't make it home tonight
Tell my mama that I love her
Leave some flowers for my brother
Girl I love ya
But if I don't make it home tonight
Take some money to my sister
I don't ever want her chasin after niggas
Cus where I'm from
Niggas outchea dyin every day
And they ain't no bad, ain't they just tryna make a way
And I ain't no different
So if I get missin
These are my last wishes
I hope you get them right
Girl if I don't make it home tonight
I know it's harsh
But this is how I feel, girl it's comin from the heart
I hope it doesn't end the way it had to start
Cus it started out bad but I made it this far
But everyone here ain't trynna see me make it
Or they only wanna see me win so they can take it
Cus I know it's hard to find a job
So niggas kill and rob
There's a chance that I won't make it here tomorrow
Being honest
See I gotta keep it real with you baby
Cus the shit I used to do is what made me
And I'm hopin I ain't gotta go back to the trap
Cus we really know that we don't want that
But if I don't make it home tonight
Tell my mama that I love her
Leave some flowers for my brother
Girl I love ya
But if I don't make it home tonight
Take some money to my sister
I don't ever want her chasin after niggas
Cus where I'm from
Niggas outchea dyin every day
And they ain't no bad, ain't they just tryna make a way
And I ain't no different
So if I get missin
These are my last wishes
I hope you get them right
Girl if I don't make it home tonight
Would you miss me? Would you miss me?
Would you walk up to my casket? Would you kiss me?
My life is schizophrenic, I'm just tryna stay sane
Pour a cup full, hope it take away the pain
I said you know I I I I
Came from the projects, nigga
Don't care if it kill me, I die, I'll stay in the projects
You know I'm fresh as a motherfucker, in case that I die tonight
Got a lot on my mind, you know that I'm high tonight
I left that black Hublot at home
So really I don't got the time
My nigga got by a quarter, heard that he dropped the dime
Failure's no option nigga, you out of yo fuckin mind
Mixin my life and my freedom fool
So ain't none of you stopping my...
But if I don't make it home tonight
Tell my mama that I love her
Leave some flowers for my brother
Girl I love ya
But if I don't make it home tonight
Take some money to my sister
I don't ever want her chasin after niggas
Cus where I'm from
Niggas outchea dyin every day
And they ain't no bad, ain't they just tryna make a way
And I ain't no different
So if I get missin
These are my last wishes
I hope you get them right
Girl if I don't make it home tonight
But if I don't make it home tonight
Tell my mama that I love her
Leave some flowers for my brother
Girl I love ya
But if I don't make it home tonight
Take some money to my sister
I don't ever want her chasin after niggas
Cus where I'm from
Niggas outchea dyin every day
And they ain't no bad, ain't they just tryna make a way
And I ain't no different
So if I get missin
These are my last wishes
I hope you get them right
Girl if I don't make it home tonight
August Alsina's song "Make it Home" is a heartfelt plea for understanding and forgiveness from a person who recognizes the mistakes that he has made in life. The song starts with the artist acknowledging that he doesn't always do what he should but rather does what he feels is necessary. He reflects on his past experiences as a hustler, breaking rules and not graduating from school, saying that he did it because he thought it was cool. He recognizes that his past has made him who he is today and hopes that he doesn't have to resort to it again.
The chorus of "Make it Home" is a plea for his loved ones to remember him in case something happens to him. August Alsina asks someone to tell his mother that he loves her, leave some flowers for his brother, and take some money to his sister. He recognizes that where he comes from, people die every day, and he wants his loved ones to be careful and not chase after any bad elements. The song ends with him reflecting on his life, saying that he came from the projects and will stay there regardless of what happens. He hopes that in case he doesn't make it back, people will remember him for who he was.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't always do what I should
I don't always follow the rules
But I do what I gotta do
But I do what I have to do to survive
You've been at the bottom, you see the hunger inside of you
You know what it's like to struggle and fight for what you need
Don't say what you won't do
Don't make promises you can't keep
Cus it can all change
Because everything can change in an instant
When the going gets tough it'll drive you insane
When things get difficult, it can drive you crazy
See I done dodged a couple shots
I've narrowly avoided getting shot a few times
Served a couple blocks
I've sold drugs on a few street corners
Hit a couple corners tryna shake a couple cops
I've turned corners trying to get away from the police
A broke a couple rules
I've broken a few laws
Didn't graduate from school
I didn't finish school
Cus I was busy hustling, man, I thought that shit was cool
I was too busy selling drugs and making money to care about school, I thought it was cool at the time
See I gotta keep it real with you baby
I have to be honest with you
Cus the shit I used to do is what made me
The things I did in the past made me who I am today
And I'm hopin I ain't gotta go back to the trap
I hope I never have to sell drugs again
Cus we really know that we don't want that
Because we know it's not a good lifestyle
But if I don't make it home tonight
But if I don't survive tonight
Tell my mama that I love her
Let my mother know I love her
Leave some flowers for my brother
Leave some flowers at my brother's grave
Girl I love ya
I love you too
Take some money to my sister
Give some money to my sister
I don't ever want her chasin after niggas
I don't want her to have to rely on men for money
Cus where I'm from
Because of where I grew up
Niggas outchea dyin every day
People are dying every day where I come from
And they ain't no bad, ain't they just tryna make a way
They're not bad people, they're just trying to survive
And I ain't no different
And I'm no different from them
So if I get missin
So if I go missing
These are my last wishes
These are my final requests
I hope you get them right
I hope you follow through with them correctly
I know it's harsh
I know it's difficult to hear
But this is how I feel, girl it's comin from the heart
But this is how I truly feel, it's coming from my heart
I hope it doesn't end the way it had to start
I hope my life doesn't end tragically the way it began
Cus it started out bad but I made it this far
Because my life began in a difficult situation, but I've still managed to come this far
But everyone here ain't trynna see me make it
Not everyone in my life wants to see me succeed
Or they only wanna see me win so they can take it
Or they only want me to succeed so they can take advantage of me
Cus I know it's hard to find a job
Because I know it's difficult to find work
So niggas kill and rob
So some people resort to crime to make money
There's a chance that I won't make it here tomorrow
There's a possibility that I won't survive until tomorrow
Being honest
To be truthful
Would you miss me? Would you miss me?
Would you feel my absence if I were gone?
Would you walk up to my casket? Would you kiss me?
Would you visit my funeral and say goodbye to me?
My life is schizophrenic, I'm just tryna stay sane
My life is unpredictable and hectic, I'm just trying to stay mentally stable
Pour a cup full, hope it take away the pain
I drink to try and numb the emotional pain I'm feeling
I said you know I I I I
I said, you know, I...
Came from the projects, nigga
I come from a humble beginning in the projects
Don't care if it kill me, I die, I'll stay in the projects
I don't care if it kills me, I will stay true to my roots in the projects
You know I'm fresh as a motherfucker, in case that I die tonight
You know I look good, in case I don't survive until tomorrow
Got a lot on my mind, you know that I'm high tonight
I have a lot on my mind and I'm using drugs to cope with it tonight
I left that black Hublot at home
I left my expensive watch at home
So really I don't got the time
So I'm not concerned with time right now
My nigga got by a quarter, heard that he dropped the dime
My friend was arrested and told on me
Failure's no option nigga, you out of yo fuckin mind
Failure is not an option, if you think otherwise, you're crazy
Mixin my life and my freedom fool
Combining my lifestyle and my freedom is foolish
So ain't none of you stopping my...
So none of you can stop me...
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHEW FEATHERSTONE, CHRISTOPHER FEATHERSTONE, JUSTIN FEATHERSTONE, WILLIAM FEATHERSTONE, SEAN MCMILLION, RALPH JEANTY, AUGUST ALSINA, JAY JENKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kingsoulja24k
Please like dis comment, so I can come back and listen 🙏🏽
@tixa1ify
I'm so glad we didn't loose August Alsina to the streets. We would have lost a great talent!
@royalporter2281
where I'm from we lose people with talent everyday smh
@nicholasburnett9269
CHICAGO!
@poetrysinitial572
+Anonymous User I'll be praying for you. For comfort and success. I wish you best of luck. You'll make it there. 🙏💝
@anonymoususer5871
Poetry's Initial Thank u man appreciate it a lot I'll remember u when I'll make it tho I don't know your real name I'll remember poetry's Initial🙏☝💗😊.
@coldhearted7608
this is my mans shit its all him he was out grinding went and did some time now he on a different grind like omg lol love him so
@fijibre113
this song hits a little harder with all the riots going on rn😕
@kiara198923
I agree! Especially the video!
@ffourty-eight283
yeah, you right