This Thing Called Life

This Thing Called Life
Studio album by August Alsina
Released	December 11, 2015
Recorded	2014–2015
Studio	Duck Off Studios, Atlanta, Georgia Treesound Studios, Atlanta Twelve Recording Studios, Atlanta[1]
Genre	R&B hip hop
Length	56:23
Label	Def Jam
Producer	Knucklehead Flippa Hood Famous Go Grizzly JProof B.A.M. MelloTheProducer The Exclusives Polow da Don
August Alsina chronology
Testimony (2014) This Thing Called Life (2015) The Product III: State of Emergency (2020)
Singles from This Thing Called Life
"Hip Hop" Released: April 21, 2015 "Why I Do It" Released: August 28, 2015 "Song Cry" Released: October 28, 2015

This Thing Called Life is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist August Alsina. It was released on December 11, 2015, by Def Jam Recordings.^[2] The album was supported by five singles: "Hip Hop", "Why I Do It" featuring Lil Wayne, "Song Cry", plus two promotional singles "Been Around the World" featuring Chris Brown, and "Dreamer".

The album debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, and received generally positive reviews from music critics.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Hip Hop" was released on April 21, 2015. The song was produced by Knucklehead, who did the instrumental on Alsina's song "I Luv This Shit", which later became Alsina's most successful single to date.^[3] On June 28, 2015, the music video was released for "Hip-Hop", which premiered during the 2015's BET Awards.^[4]

The album's second single, "Why I Do It" was released on August 28, 2015. The song features guest vocals from American hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne, with the production that was handled by Soundz and the duo Rock City.^[5] The music video for "Why I Do It" featuring Lil Wayne, was released on September 17, 2015.^[6]

The album's third single, "Song Cry" was released on October 28, 2015. The song was produced by Brandon "B.A.M." Alexander.^[7] The music video for "Song Cry" was released on December 11, 2015.^[8]

The album's two promotional singles, "Been Around the World" featuring American singer Chris Brown and "Dreamer" were simultaneously released on December 3, 2015. Knucklehead also produced both tracks.^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
HipHopDX	[10]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]

This Thing Called Life received generally positive reviews from critics. Andy Kellman of Allmusic said that the album is "immersed in street life and its grim aftershocks".^[1] Trent Clark of HipHopDX in a mixed review said that the album "doesn't stand out with a sound of its own, but rather takes what's already been done better lately from more relevant R&B artists". Renato Pagnani of Pitchfork expressed a positive response, stating: "Alsina applies the tender, ruminative aspects of R&B to his street tales, and his second studio album solidifies his place amongst the upper echelon of modern-day R&B".^[11] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone said that the album is "a thuggy mixture of Chris Brown's X and Trey Songz' Anticipation II" stating that its sound "succeeded in fusing R&B and hip-hop".^[12]

Commercial performance

This Thing Called Life debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week of release.^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"This Thing Called Life"	August Alsina Carlos Cahee	August Alsina Cahee	0:57
2.	"Job" (featuring Anthony Hamilton and Jadakiss)	Alsina Ronald Colson Jameel Roberts Sean McMillion Ralph Jeanty Anthony Hamilton Jason Phillips Sampha Sisay	Flippa JProof	4:14
3.	"Why I Do It" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Alsina McMiilion Jeanty Candace Curry Nicodemo Lalli Keyiara Sallie Go Grizzly Kevin Price Dwayne Carter, Jr.	Hood Famous The Prodducer Go Grizzly	3:58
4.	"Hollywood"	Alsina Samuel Irving III Cahee Curry Jeanty McMillion	Knucklehead	3:28
5.	"Hip Hop"	Alsina Irving III McMillion Jeanty Robert Reese Erykah Badu Vincent Brown Keir Gist Anthony Criss Ernest Isley Marvin Isley O'Kelly Isley, Jr. Ronald Isley Rudolph Isley Christopher Wallace Robert Glasper	Knucklehead	3:29
6.	"Change"	Alsina Irving III Cahee Jeanty McMillion	Knucklehead	3:20
7.	"Dreamer"	Alsina McMillion Jeanty Irving III	Knucklehead	4:46
8.	"Been Around the World" (featuring Chris Brown)	Alsina McMillion Irving III Jeanty Ian Devaney Etterlene Jordan Christopher Brown Paul Hardcastle Andrew Morris Lisa Stansfield Mark DeBarge	Knucklehead	3:22
9.	"First Time"	Alsina Irving III E. Isley M. Isley O. Isley R. Isley R. Isley Jasper McMillion Jeanty William Earl Collins Gary Lee Cooper George Clinton Jr. Gary Shider	Knucklehead	3:08
10.	"Would You Know?"	Alsina Jeanty McMillion Brandon Hodge	B.A.M.	5:35
11.	"Song Cry"	Alsina Jeanty Hodge	B.A.M.	4:29
12.	"Other Side"	Alsina McMillion Jeanty Hodge	B.A.M.	3:59
13.	"American Dream"	Alsina McMillion Jeanty Irving III Fitzgerald Scott Keith Sweat	Knucklehead	3:28
14.	"Look At How Far I've Come"	Alsina McMillion Jeanty Dominyque Allen	MelloTheProducer The Exclusives	4:24
15.	"The Encore"	Alsina McMillion Jeanty Harvey Averne Jamal Jones Ralfi Pagan	Polow da Don	3:46
Total length:				56:23

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2016) Peak position US Billboard 200[14] 14 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 40

References

1. Kellman, Andy. "This Thing Called Life – August Alsina". AllMusic.
2. "August Alsina- This Thing Called Life [Album Trailer] - 12.11.15". YouTube. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
3. "Hip Hop - Single by August Alsina on iTunes". iTunes. 2015-04-21. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
4. "Video: August Alsina – 'Hip Hop'". Rap-Up. 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
5. "Why I Do It (feat. Lil Wayne) - Single by August Alsina on iTunes". iTunes. 2015-08-28. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
6. "Video: August Alsina feat. Lil Wayne – 'Why I Do It'". Rap-Up. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
7. "Song Cry - Single by August Alsina on iTunes". iTunes. 2015-10-28. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
8. "Video: August Alsina – 'Song Cry'". Rap-Up. 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
9. "New Music: August Alsina feat. Chris Brown – 'Been Around the World'". Rap-Up. 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
10. "August Alsina - This Thing Called Life". 11 December 2015.
11. Pagnani, Renato. "This Thing Called Life – August Alsina". PitchFork.
12. Leight, Elias (23 December 2015). "How August Alsina Is Bringing Hope Back to Mainstream R&B". Rolling Stone.
13. Hernandez, Victoria (2015-12-21). "Hip Hop Album Sales: August Alsina, R. Kelly & Rick Ross". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
14. "August Alsina Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
15. "August Alsina Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
16. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.