| This Thing Called Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 11, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:23 | |||
| Label | Def Jam | |||
| Producer |
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| August Alsina chronology | ||||
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| Singles from This Thing Called Life | ||||
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This Thing Called Life is the secondstudio album by AmericanR&Brecording artistAugust Alsina. It was released on December 11, 2015, byDef Jam Recordings.[2] The album was supported by fivesingles: "Hip Hop", "Why I Do It" featuringLil Wayne, "Song Cry", plus twopromotional singles "Been Around the World" featuringChris Brown, and "Dreamer".
The album debuted at number 14 on the USBillboard 200, and received generally positive reviews from music critics.
The album's leadsingle, "Hip Hop" was released on April 21, 2015. The song wasproduced 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 the2015's BET Awards.[4]
The album's second single, "Why I Do It" was released on August 28, 2015. The song featuresguest vocals from Americanhip hoprecording artistLil Wayne, with the production that was handled bySoundz and the duoRock 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 singerChris Brown and "Dreamer" were simultaneously released on December 3, 2015. Knucklehead also produced both tracks.[9]
| 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 ofAllmusic said that the album is "immersed in street life and its grim aftershocks".[1] Trent Clark ofHipHopDX 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 ofPitchfork 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 ofRolling Stone said that the album is "a thuggy mixture ofChris Brown'sX andTrey Songz'Anticipation II" stating that its sound "succeeded in fusing R&B and hip-hop".[12]
This Thing Called Life debuted at number 14 on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week of release.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Thing Called Life" |
|
| 0:57 |
| 2. | "Job" (featuringAnthony Hamilton andJadakiss) |
| 4:14 | |
| 3. | "Why I Do It" (featuringLil Wayne) |
|
| 3:58 |
| 4. | "Hollywood" |
|
| 3:28 |
| 5. | "Hip Hop" |
|
| 3:29 |
| 6. | "Change" |
|
| 3:20 |
| 7. | "Dreamer" |
|
| 4:46 |
| 8. | "Been Around the World" (featuringChris Brown) |
|
| 3:22 |
| 9. | "First Time" |
|
| 3:08 |
| 10. | "Would You Know?" |
| 5:35 | |
| 11. | "Song Cry" |
|
| 4:29 |
| 12. | "Other Side" |
|
| 3:59 |
| 13. | "American Dream" |
|
| 3:28 |
| 14. | "Look At How Far I've Come" |
|
| 4:24 |
| 15. | "The Encore" |
| 3:46 | |
| Total length: | 56:23 | |||
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
