South Los Angeles singer, songwriter, and producer August 08 has died on the age of 31. 88rising, the collective to which the musician beforehand belonged, shared the information on Instagram with out disclosing a reason for dying. “RIP August the kindest and most gifted genius you may be missed past phrases,” the collective wrote. “Thanks for being an incredible mentor and a steadfast good friend by way of all these years. We’re endlessly grateful to you and the enjoyment you introduced in each room, by way of each tune. Your vitality, steerage and care gave a lot inspiration and energy that might be carried on all the time.”
August 08 was born Ray Jacobs and likewise glided by the title August Grant. He has stated that he acquired into drumming by way of his mom, who, along with his aunt and grandmother, acquired him a drum machine at a younger age. By his early teenage years, he had moved in along with his uncle and cousins and began to supply music. Along with his cousins, August 08 found a love for cinema, which served as an inspiration in his music. “I watched lots of motion pictures rising up,” he recalled in an interview final yr. “That’s the place all my inspiration comes from. I acquired to see my first Wes Anderson movie and others that finally impressed the hell out of me.”
In Could 2018, August 08 launched his debut EP, Father, by way of 88rising and Pink Bull Information. “The venture was actually based mostly round my father and my father left me after I was younger, after I was 11 or 12 years previous,” he defined forward of the venture’s launch. “However I additionally wished to make it a factor the place everyone who’s skilled the factor I’ve skilled can relate and really feel one thing from it. Nobody is speaking about these emotions or having father points. That’s why I believe [lead single] ‘Funeral’ is a vital half to the puzzle of opening folks up; to appreciate that’s a daring factor to say to somebody: ‘Don’t say it at my funeral, say it to me now.’”
After Father, August 08 launched the Glad Endings With an Asterisk and Emotional Cuh EPs by way of 88rising. He additionally featured on the collective’s Head within the Clouds and Head within the Clouds II compilations.
In July 2022, August 08 turned the primary artist to signal with Jhené Aiko’s Def Jam Recordings label enterprise, Allel Sound. “August is an unimaginable author, singer, and artist whose music speaks to me on so many ranges,” Aiko stated of her signee. “As a fellow Los Angeles native, I’m so pleased with him. August’s expertise, love for songwriting and arms on method along with his artwork is one thing I can relate to and have a large amount of respect for.” A month after his Allel Sound signing was introduced, August 08 issued his debut album, Seasick, and it featured songs with Aiko, Schoolboy Q, and his fellow 88rising alumnus, Joji.