J'son
Who is Json? Maybe you’ve heard him on one of Flame’s 4 albums. Maybe you’ve heard him on 13 letters or any of the other Reach Records projects. You may have picked up his debut album The Seasoning, but the question stands, who is Json really?
Jason ‘Json’ Watson was born and raised on the north side of St. Louis, MO. One of the most impacting events in his young life was the loss of his father which left his mother to raise him alone. Though Json’s mother loved him deeply her addiction to drugs affected their relationship and led Json to look for guidance in the streets. Throughout his adolescence and teenage years Json was exposed to the drugs and violence that are so common to many urban areas. He also indulged in and abused a lot of these drugs including, heroin, marijuana, and alcohol. At 15 Jason experienced the loss of his best friend Gaylon, and the pain of this event sent his life into a downward spiral. By the age of 16 Jason had been kicked out of school, served jail time, and become a member of a local gang. Being fully immersed in this lifestyle he couldn’t imagine life any other way. At 18 Jason caught a drug case that left him incarcerated for several months and this is when God began to deal with his heart.
Once Jason was released he did not immediately relinquish his old activities, but he understood that God was real and knew there was more in life than what he had been used to. Jason continued to experience everything that comes with a life that isn’t completely surrendered to Christ. At 19 he met LaWanda Childress. Through this relationship Jason would hear God’s call and then answer it. Neither Jason nor LaWanda knew at the time that this was God’s providence because later they would both surrender their lives to Christ and join in Holy Matrimony.
He now uses his many talents and gifts to exhaust himself in the things of God. Along with being a husband, father, minister, & teacher Json is also a Gospel Rapper. Through God’s grace Json has rocked the stage with many artists ranging from Lecrae & Flame to KJ 52 and Crossmovement. This gift of rap has been a lifelong passion of Jason’s. Json is now signed to Lamp Mode Recordings which is a Christian label based out of Philadelphia, PA. It is from this label that Json’s most recent work was put out titled Life On Life. This album focuses on the Christian responsibility to use our lives for the growth of other Christians and their walk. This album has been recorded as Json’s best work to date and received a review of 5/5 stars on rapzilla which is a prominent Christian hip-hop website.