Alsina stepped away from drug dealing, but he didn’t completely dedicate himself to music until the day he lost his brother, Melvin La’Branch III, to violence in August of 2010.
“I took music serious after they killed my brother,” he admits. “The way I was living, it was either this or that. My brother once told me a lot of us don’t make it past 25, and they took him before he was that age.”
Alsina began posting more videos of himself singing on YouTube and was eventually discovered by Noontime Management. At 17, he moved to Atlanta by himself and began building relationships in the industry. He was signed by Def Jam and released the No. 1 hit single, “I Luv It,” in 2013.
Although he has experienced success, Alsina continues to adjust to stardom. He made headlines a few weeks ago after an awkward exchange with Keisha Chante on BET’s “106 & Park.” After Chante inquired about his reported disagreement with Trey Songz, Alsina reprimanded her for bringing up the topic. Apparently, they agreed to leave the topic off record before the taping of the show.
The clip soon went viral on social media and Alsina was viewed by some as the bad guy. His interview with “106 & Park” occurred one week after rolling out’s one-on-one with the singer. But during our interview, he alluded to how some within the industry view him as an outcast.
“I’m the dude they don’t want to win,” he says. ”The way the industry is set up, you have to be a certain type of person to win in the game. I’m 21 and it’s hard to build a legacy without footsteps to follow.”
Alsina considers himself to be a true R&B artist, but he doesn’t fit into the mold of what most of today’s R&B has become.
“It’s a new day and age and you have to adapt,” Alsina says. “It’s about growing and adapting. I’m a fan of what R&B used to be. I’m not a rapper. I stay in my lane. With today’s R&B, a lot of people can get confused. If you don’t have a vision for yourself, someone will have a vision for you. People want something fresh and new. As long as I relate to the ones that are down, I’m good. There are more people who are poor than rich. I want to make music to lift the people.”
