THA FAX

For nearly his entire life, 44-year-old Jason Crawford (also known as J-Ross) has lived with the knowledge that he will someday lose his eyesight.

Determined not to lose his positivity, the 6-foot-6 hip-hop musician and father of three has embraced hope and defied all odds.

“I’ve always been a strong believer in the power of mind,” he says. “I’ve had people tell me from younger years that I might not have vision into my 30s; I might not have vision in my 40s. But I don’t know, I’ve never really believed it.”

“Even my ophthalmologist, she’s like, ‘Jay, how are you doing all this?’”Crawford was born with the genetic eye disease retinitis pigmentosa. Though he’s retained partial vision for longer than expected, he’s still dealt with more than his share of challenges. At 25, he was declared legally blind. He’s now recently had to step away from his career as a youth development worker due to the deterioration of his condition.


But making a difference in the lives of youth is as integral to Crawford as notes are to music.

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He and his cousin Micah (also known as Prophesied) have thrown themselves into growing their youth program, Rap 4 Reason. “It’s a six week, youth-based, urban, community-based program in which we teach youth how to write, compose and perform urban music,” Crawford explains.

They’ve also collaborated on Crawford’s upcoming solo album, Such Is Life, which drops in early November.

And he hasn’t lost a bit of his unshakable positivity.

“Because I am losing more eyesight, my ears are way better. Things are heightened — and for music, that’s a bonus. You don’t need to have sight for music.” - The Calgary Herald