It's Alsina's ability to relate tales of his hardscrabble upbringing—"I had to face it that my daddy was addicted," he sings on the opener, "Testify"—that distinguishes him from his peers. Though he's not averse to waxing romantic ("Kissin on my Tattoos"), it's tracks like "Right There" and "Make It Home" that tie Alsina to a legacy of down-on-their-luck crooners, even if his beats are fluttering contemporary trap-n-B.