August III interview: Meet the hotly-tipped Leeds rapper who penned his debut EP in St James's Hospital

When the pandemic took hold in March 2020, August III was already in lockdown - spending three months in hospital recovering from a debilitating stomach condition.

Unable to walk after going under the knife, the Leeds rapper, real name Adam Hassan, turned to music to get him through his darkest moments in St James's.

He penned his debut EP, Hospital Talk, on his iPhone in a hospital bed and it was the push he needed to go full-throttle with his music career after his recovery.

Now making waves with his global sound, which combines R&B, afrobeat, trap and bashment, August has been tipped as one to watch as he links up with dancehall superstar Beenie Man.

“I’ve always been writing music," August, who grew up in Roundhay, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"When my mum used to tell me off and send me to the bottom of the stairs or the corner, I’d have my pen and paper out and I’d be writing songs - this was at about seven years old.

"Even while I was in uni halls, people would come knocking on my door and say ‘why do you keep playing the same beat over and over again?’"

August was heavily influenced by the melting pot of cultures surrounding him in Leeds, from his dad's Nigerian heritage to the Indian weddings he went to growing up.

The 26-year-old added: “Leeds is very diverse with a lot of different cultures, there's lots to learn from.

"I remember sitting in the car and my dad used to play old school R&B and afrobeats. It all helped to build me.

“When you listen to my music, you can hear all those different genres, they’re a part of what I do.”

August studied criminology at university, despite pleas from his friends to start releasing his tracks and pursue a career in music full time.

It wasn't until he graduated and his health began to deteriorate that he decided to follow his passion - and 2020 was the year that made him.

“Writing the EP was one of the main things that got me through hospital," August said.

"Difficult times can either make or break you and it was a big turning point for me. I didn’t know how long I was going to be here.

"When I had morning calls with the doctors, sometimes it was awful news and I was in tears.

“The first thing I did was get my laptop out and start writing. There’s a lot of pain in Hospital Talk and you can hear it in how I sound.

"I think people expect that I’ll be talking a lot about my time in hospital, but it wasn’t that. As an artist, if you’re really telling a story then you can’t control it.

"Naturally, what was coming out was where I’m going, how I want to elevate and where I wanted to do when I was out of there.

“It was a massive moment in my career.”

August's debut single Paaji has clocked more than 500,000 worldwide streams since its release in 2020 - reaching listeners in Europe, India and Africa.

He's since released a succession of tracks, including the drill-inspired Do My Dance and Desire, a collaboration with Nigerian superstar Bella Shmurda, which have been

While many musicians were facing huge setbacks during lockdowns, August was just getting started.

“The pandemic didn’t hit me as hard because I was already getting hit," he said.

"Things were getting better for me during lockdown because I was focusing on my music and I was getting deals and opportunities.

“I was fighting, constantly battling. It was hard, but it shows that if you lock me up and keep me down - I’ll just write music.”

August describes his sound as a "mixture of Nigeria and Yorkshire" and hopes to continue to tap into a global market with a catalogue of new music he's set to release soon, including a new project.

He added: “I will be international and I want to get out to Africa, especially Lagos and the homeland in Nigeria where I get a lot of love, as well as Europe.

"My main goal is coming out on stage and everyone knows my lyrics and they’re singing back to me.

"That will be a huge point for me.”

Shutting down stages

As August's career took off during the pandemic, he's just getting to grips with being on stage - but it's something he says comes naturally.

He recently played at The Warehouse Project in Manchester, supported DJ Spinall at his Afrobeats Leeds Invasion and there are plans for a headline show in Leeds.

"The Warehouse Project was crazy, there were around 8,000 people there," August said.

"But I was ready for it. I might be that young lad from Leeds but I can see myself going far.

"Putting on a show is a massive part of being an artist and I've made sure I shut them down.

"There was dancing, my brother is my DJ and we were pulling up the tracks and doing sets, making sure it’s worth the money for people."

Getting love from dancehall superstar Beenie Man

August has teamed up with the 'king of dancehall', Jamaican superstar Beenie Man, and Indian rapper Motion for a remix of his debut single Paaji - which is out now.

Grammy award-winning Beenie Man has collaborated with the likes of Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Wyclef Jean over three decades in music, and it was a dream come true for August to get him on the track.

"A kid from Leeds doing a track with the king of dancehall is crazy," August said.

"I listened to Beenie Man growing up, his energy and the way he lands on the beat have played an influence on my sound

"He liked the original track a lot and it was natural to him, he wrote the lyrics there and then and laid it down within a matter of hours."

Paaji combines an afrobeat instrumental with the sound of the classical Indian sitar, brought to life by Motion's Punjabi-rap vocal.

August added: "The track has always been about blending cultures, initially that was with both my Nigerian heritage and the Indian influences on my life.

"Now Beenie Man adds his Jamaican twist to the track bringing three different cultures all in one sound. It’s international and it hits so many different markets.

“The response has been amazing. It’s taken my career to a different level, for Beenie Man to be showing love means other people will have to start taking notice now.”

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