Testimony (August Alsina album)

Testimony
Studio album by August Alsina
Released April 15, 2014
Recorded 2012–14
Genre R&B, hip hop
Length 61:52
Label Def Jam
Producer Henry "Noonie" Lee (exec.), Donald "D-Day" Albright (exec.), Karen Kwak (co-exec.), August Alsina, Cassius Jay, D. Clax, DJ Mustard, DJ Spinz, Drumma Boy, Dun Deal, Eric Hudson, Jasper Cameron, John "$K" McGee, Knucklehead, The BeatFreqz, The Featherstones, The Exclusives, Go Grizzly
August Alsina chronology

Downtown: Life Under the Gun
(2013)		 Testimony
(2014)
Singles from Testimony
  1. "I Luv This Shit"
    Released: February 19, 2013
  2. "Ghetto"
    Released: December 9, 2013
  3. "Numb"
    Released: December 10, 2013
  4. "Make It Home"
    Released: January 15, 2014
  5. "Kissin' on My Tattoos"
    Released: April 1, 2014
  6. "No Love"
    Released: July 29, 2014

Testimony is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist August Alsina; it was released on April 15, 2014, by Def Jam Recordings. The album was supported by five official singles; "I Luv This Shit" featuring Trinidad James, "Ghetto," "Numb" featuring B.o.B and Yo Gotti, "Make It Home" featuring Jeezy, and "Kissin' on My Tattoos," along with the promotional single "Benediction" featuring Rick Ross. Upon its release, Testimony was met with generally positive reviews from music critics.

Promotion

August Alsina will begin the Testimony Live tour in the United States on August 14, 2014.[1]

Singles

On February 14, 2013, the music video was released for lead single, titled "I Luv This Shit" featuring Trinidad James.[2] On February 19, 2013, it was released for digital download.[3] The song peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[4][5]

The album's second single, "Ghetto" featuring Rich Homie Quan was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United States on December 9, 2013.[6][7] On February 11, 2014, it was released for digital download.[8]

On December 2, 2013, the music video was released for "Numb" featuring B.o.B. and Yo Gotti.[9] On December 10, 2013, it was released as the album's third single.[10]

On January 15, 2014, the album's fourth single "Make It Home" featuring Jeezy was released for digital download.[11] It was sent to US urban contemporary radio on March 3, 2014.[12] On February 13, 2014, the music video was released for "Make It Home".[13]

The album's fifth single "Kissin' On My Tattoos" was released on April 1, 2014.[14]

The album's sixth single "No Love", was serviced to urban adult contemporary radio in the United States on July 29, 2014.[15]

Other songs

On April 15, 2014, the music video was released for "Get Ya Money" featuring Fabolous.[16] On June 26, 2014, the music video was released for "FML" featuring Pusha T.[17] On July 1, 2014, the music video was released for "Benediction" featuring Rick Ross, the video also features appearances from DJ Khaled.[18]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 79/100[19]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [20]
The New York Times (positive)[21]
Now [22]
Spin 7/10[23]
XXL 3/5 (L)[24]

Upon its release, Testimony was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 79, which indicates "generally positive reviews", based on 5 reviews.[19] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "Throughout, Alsina is joined by the likes of Young Jeezy, Pusha T, Fabolous, and Rick Ross, and though he's a natural match with most of them, he could have carried the whole album on his own with ease. This is a gratifying second step from one of the most exciting contemporary R&B artists to appear during the 2010s."[20]

Erin Lowers of XXL gave the album an L rating, saying "In comparison to several R&B records released this year, August Alsina offers an honesty in his music related directly to his life. He’s neither afraid to rejoice in his accomplishments nor is he scared to speak on his mistakes. Finding the balance between sex, love, and ratchet, Testimony is truly a testament to a new era in R&B that shifts safe lyrics to smooth street tales."[24] Brandon Soderberg of Spin said, "Usually, in-the-pocket R&B does fine with middling MCs, but Testimony, powered by Alsina's insider-outsider personality -- sensitive romantic with a crime-haunted past -- doesn't need these big dumb lugs for cred, or even menace. Testimony brings rap's raw nerve detail to the sturdy slow jam, nullifying the need for nods to R&B of the "rap and bullshit" variety."[23]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 67,000 copies in the United States.[25] In its second week, the album sold 20,000 more copies in the United States.[26] In its third week, the album sold 12,000 more copies in the United States.[27] In its fourth week, the album sold 8,800 more copies in the United States.[28] As of September 24, 2014, the album has sold 206,258 copies in the United States.[29]

Track listing

Standard edition
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Testify"  August Alsina, S. Irving, S. McMillion, R. Jeanty, R. ReeseKnucklehead, Korner Keyz, The Exclusives[a] 4:02
2. "Make It Home" (featuring Jeezy)Alsina, McMillion, Jeanty, W. Featherstone, C. Featherstone, M. Featherstone, J. Featherstone, Jay JenkinsThe Featherstones 4:31
3. "Right There"  Irving, J. Cross, McMillion, JeantyKnucklehead, Cassius Jay, Alsina, The Exclusives[a] 3:37
4. "You Deserve"  Alsina, R. Fambro, C. Henson, P. Moon, McMillion, Jeanty, T. Nash, S. ScarboroughThe BeatFreqz, The Exclusives[a] 4:02
5. "No Love"  Alsina, Cristopher Gholson, M. Wade, D. Brown, O. MarajDrumma Boy, The Exclusives[a] 4:03
6. "Porn Star"  Alsina, G. Hill, J. McGee, McMillion, JeantyDJ Spinz, John "$K" McGee, The Exclusives[a] 4:37
7. "FML" (featuring Pusha T)Alsina, Gholson, McMillion, Jeanty, S. Jean, Terrence ThorntonDrumma Boy, The Exclusives[a] 3:37
8. "Grind & Pray / Get Ya Money" (featuring Fabolous)Alsina, J. Cameron, Hill, David Cunningham, McMillion, Jeanty, John Jackson"Grind & Pray" produced by Jasper "Big Love" Cameron
"Get Ya Money" produced by DJ Spinz, Dun Deal		 4:00
9. "Ghetto" (featuring Yo Gotti)Alsina, McMillion, Jeanty, S. Irving III, Mario MimsKnucklehead, The Exclusives[a] 3:59
10. "Kissin' on My Tattoos"  Alsina, CameronCameron, The Exclusives[a] 4:11
11. "Ah Yeah"  Alsina, D. Claxton, D. BrownD. Clax 2:35
12. "Mama"  Alsina, McMillion, JeantyThe Exclusives, Alsina 3:30
13. "Benediction" (featuring Rick Ross)Alsina, Eric Hudson, McMillion, Jeanty, S. Jean, William RobertsHudson, The Exclusives[a] 4:55
14. "I Luv This Shit" (featuring Trinidad James)Alsina, McMillion, Jeanty, Irving III, C. Massa, Nicholas WilliamsKnucklehead, The Exclusives[a] 4:27
15. "Numb" (featuring B.o.B and Yo Gotti)Alsina, Dijon McFarlane, McMillion, Jeanty, B. Simmons, Jr., MimsDJ Mustard, The Exclusives[a] 4:14
Notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart (The Official Charts Company)[31] 108
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[32] 10
US Billboard 200[33] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[34] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
US Billboard 200[35] 79
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[36] 19
US Top R&B Albums[37] 11

Release history

Region Date Label(s)
Australia[38] April 10, 2014 Universal Music
Austria[39]
Belgium[40]
Germany[41]
France[42]
Ireland[43] April 14, 2014 Island
United Kingdom[44] Virgin EMI
United States[45] April 15, 2014 Def Jam
Japan[46] April 29, 2014 Universal Music Japan
New Zealand[47] May 6, 2014 Universal Music
Finland[48]
Hungary[49]
Poland[50] May 11, 2014 Def Jam
Italy[51] May 27, 2014

See also

References

  1. ↑ "August Alsina Announced 'Testimony Live' Tour". Rap-Up. 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  2. ↑ "I Luv This Shit (Explicit) - August Alsina". Vevo. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "iTunes - Music - I Luv This Sh*t (feat. Trinidad James) - Single by August Alsina". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  4. ↑ "August Alsina - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  5. ↑ "August Alsina - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  6. ↑ "freq-flip-dec-2013". Frequencynews.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  7. ↑ "August Alsina f/ Yo Gotti "Ghetto"". Complex. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  8. ↑ "August Alsina: Ghetto - Muziek op Google Play". Play.google.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  9. ↑ "New Video: August Alsina Feat. Yo Gotti & B.o.B. 'Numb'". Vibe. 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  10. ↑ "Numb [feat. B.o.B] [Clean]: August Alsina: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. 2013-12-10. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  11. ↑ "Make It Home [feat. Jeezy] [Explicit]: August Alsina: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  12. ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27.
  13. ↑ Miranda J. (2014-02-13). "Music Saves August Alsina's Life In "Make It Home" Video - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  14. ↑ "Kissin' On My Tattoos [Clean]: August Alsina: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  15. ↑ "Future Releases". Archived from the original on 2014-07-28.
  16. ↑ "Video: August Alsina f/ Fabolous – ‘Get Ya Money’". Rap-Up.com. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
  17. ↑ "Video: August Alsina f/ Pusha T – ‘FML’". Rap-Up.com. 2014-06-26. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
  18. ↑ "Video: August Alsina f/ Rick Ross – ‘Benediction’". Rap-Up.com. 2014-06-30. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Testimony – August Alsina". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Andy Kellman (2014-04-15). "Testimony - August Alsina". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  21. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (2014-04-15). "New Recordings by Riverside, Jessica Lea Mayfield and August Alsina". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  22. ↑ Sowunmi, Jordan (2014-04-17). "August Alsina" 33 (33). ISSN 0712-1326. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Soderberg, Brandon (2014-04-15). "August Alsina, 'Testimony' Review". Spin.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "August Alsina Brings His Brand Of R&B On 'Testimony' - XXL". XXL. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  25. ↑ Tardio, Andres (2014-04-20). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 4/20/2014". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  26. ↑ Tardio, Andres (2014-04-30). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 4/27/2014". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  27. ↑ Tardio, Andres (2014-05-07). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 5/04/2014". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  28. ↑ Tardio, Andres (2014-05-14). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 5/11/2014". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  29. ↑ Tardio, Andres (2014-09-24). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Chris Brown, Lecrae, Jeezy, Jhene Aiko". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
  30. ↑ "Testimony [Deluxe Edition] [Only @ Best Buy] - August Alsina". AllMusic. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  31. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK". Zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  32. ↑ "2014-04-26 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive . Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  33. ↑ "August Alsina Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for August Alsina. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  34. ↑ "August Alsina Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for August Alsina. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  35. ↑ "2014 Year-End Charts - Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  36. ↑ "2014 Year-End Charts - Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  37. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2014/r-and-b-albums
  38. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  39. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  40. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  41. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  42. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  43. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  44. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  45. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  46. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  47. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  48. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  49. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  50. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  51. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Testimony (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.