“There once was a little black boy, who was without a father...”

A tragedy that has become a normalcy, this sentiment is a recurring motif within the confines of the black experience for nearly a century. With it has come a series of consequences, an endless cycle of oppression and loss that includes more fatherless children finding their way in a prejudiced system.

For the case of AUGUST 08, the absence of his father gave him the ammunition for a profound first release.

Born and raised in the lesser than Hollywood side of Los Angeles, AUGUST 08 has accomplished a feat that many are unable to attest to: escape the gravitational pull of the street life and successfully make a living out of his passion.

In his magnum opus, Father, AUGUST 08 resurrects buried emotions and suppressed memories into eight, powerful songs. The debut project, which is set to release early 2018, is a vivid and honest portrayal of his life after age 11, when his father walked out on him and his family. AUGUST 08 navigates through the perspective of himself, his mother, and his father to find solitude in the end.

Uniquely, AUGUST 08 had names of each song title listed before he sat down to write the music. “Missed Call.” “Sick Days.” “Funeral.” These keywords released more than a decade of pent up emotions and in just two days, the backbone of Father was completed. Under the pop umbrella, AUGUST 08 describes his music as “crying on the dance floor.” On one of the project’s deepest tracks, “Lately,” the emotional, reversed chords act as a bed for sleepless lyrics, such as “I’m in my feelings, I can’t stop tearing up/ The only thing real in my life is, The suicide doors on a lambo.” AUGUST 08’s buoyant hook melody offers juxtaposition between one’s relationship with materialism and the relationships with the important people around him. The song does not act as a call for sympathy, but serves as a call to shake off his emotional dead weight. The album’s closer is the powerful, “Funeral,” which acts as AUGUST 08’s confessional booth. The futuristic cries of satellite frequencies may be a reference to his last attempt at communication. Upon arrival at the chorus, the listener realizes that the last stand is warranted, with lyrics such as, “Don’t say it at my funeral, say it to me now.” Here, the emotions have reached a fever pitch and feels like the last opportunity for closure, but all that is left are, two outstretched hands in the lonely darkness of space. “If you don’t say it like this, plain and brutally honest, you’ll end up angry,” AUGUST 08 said. The end result is the culmination of a life-long journey for closure, which refuses to let the goosebumps subside.

It wasn’t until AUGUST 08 was in his late teenage years that he discovered music. His home, he said, was often quiet. It was after listening to Dwele’s “Open Your Eyes,” AUGUST 08 said his perspective changed and that led him to teach himself piano through YouTube, pick up the drums, and take jazz courses. And it was after quitting his day job at the post office that AUGUST 08 made music his career. He started as a writer and producer for others, which catapulted him to writing chart topping hits. His most recent credits include Sabrina Claudio’s “Orion’s Belt,” Wale’s “Fashion Week” feat. G-Eazy, and DJ Khaled’s “I’m The One.” AUGUST 08’s wide array of influences is varied and impressive, which includes Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Kid Cudi, Jojo Mayer and James Fauntleroy. Aspiring to make classic records and leave a positive impact on the world, AUGUST 08 has now turned his attention to his own art and is preparing for the release of Father, which will be put out via 88rising and Red Bull Records.