August Alsina is set to return with his long-awaited album The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy.

Before the project arrives on Friday, the New Orleans-bred singer drops the first release, “NOLA.” He shares his gripping testimony on the dark and introspective song, which opens his 27-track album.

“I ain’t never ran from nobody / ‘Cause I ain’t never ran into a ni**a who put fear in me / Ten toes down, no backin’ down until you fear me,” he sings while repping his hometown. “I’m from the NOLA, NOLA, NOLA, NOLA where ni**as murder, murder, murder, murder.”

He plans to release a new song each day leading up to the album’s release on Friday. Each track will be accompanied by an episode of his 5-part documentary, starting with the first part today. The 15-minute episode, titled “Planted,” finds August reflecting on the many hardships he’s faced, including growing up in a household with a crack-addicted father and being homeless.

“I personally have experienced so much in my life that I’m always in a space of just being braced for impact,” he says.

The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy, August’s first album since 2015’s This Thing Called Life, also features appearances from Yo Gotti, Tink, Lil Wayne, and Juicy J.

See the cover art and tracklist below.