August Alsina soars to the top

For August Alsina singing through the pain has earned him a top spot on the charts and respect from some of the biggest stars in the music industry.

21-year-old Alsina has snagged the number one spot on Soundscan's R&B charts and the number two place overall with his debut release "Testimony."

The New Orleans native says the accomplishments are all a blur right now.

SOUNDBITE: August Alsina, singer, saying (English):

"You can't really enjoy a moment when you don't really have time to live in the moment. I've been going so much that a lot of stuff is actually - I'm kind of numb to it. And I guess it's really good for me and it's bad for me a little bit because I really want to, you know, stop and sort of enjoy what's going on. But at the same time I guess that's what really keeps me like, you know, just so focused and grinding."

The 13 track CD is somewhat of a diary of Alsina's troubled upbringing.

The singer said being revealing was cathartic on man