In July 2019, the singer shared that he'd been privately battling health issues and had momentarily lost the ability to walk. "I have a
liver disease where my
autoimmune system is fighting against itself" August Alsina said. "Reality is I'm sick all the time. I'd really like to talk about it and I'm not looking for anybody's sympathy. Don't treat me like I'm a f*cking
cancer patient, because I'm not." The singer has shared bits of his
recovery via
social media, and fans speculated a return for his music after his recovery ended. Alsina has given his listeners brief snippets of music through videos and
Instagram stories over 2019, and on June 26, 2020 he announced that he was set to drop his forthcoming project
The Product III: State of Emergency the next Friday. The singer announced that the choice to make
The Product III: State of Emergency a 27-track album came from the fact that it was inspired by
Chris Brown's acclaimed 2017 album
Heartbreak on a Full Moon, that inspired his third body of work for its length and for what the singer described as "the most honest and open songwriting possible". The singer announced that the album highlights "the struggle in my life, my upbringing as a
crack baby, losing my father and sister, and becoming the guardian for my three nieces", as well as his battle with the
auto-immune disease that affected him. In describing the album, Alsina said, ==Critical response==