Raised in a single family home after his father passed away at the early age of 9, Jawon had only his older brother to look up to as the only male figure in his life. At the age of 16, and filled with an extreme sense of lost, he looked to the streets for guidance which led him into trouble. Although Jawon always rapped for friends and family, posting video clips of his abilities, he took to the streets, selling drugs as a means of survival, especially after the brother he looked up to was incarcerated. In an effort to save him and to give him a fresh start, he was sent to live with family in Camden, New Jersey with his aunt where he spent most of his time in Sycamore. The turmoil and distress followed him and his aunt unfortunately sent him back home to his mother where he began his road to adulthood.
By the age of 19, Jawon had been in several altercations with the law that could have landed him in prison for years. During one of these incidences, Jawon was informed by his longtime girlfriend that he had a son on the way which began the change in his thinking. Although he continued to rap and thought of making it a profession, putting food on the table for his family was a priority for him and by age 21, Jawon had been shot twice, took several months to recover and after a few minor run-ins with the law decided to give up chasing the dream in the streets and focus on a music career that was always his true passion. Thinking of his son becoming another black male raised by his mom with a father in jail became his motivation to not become a statistic, but to pursue his musical aspirations on an entirely new level. Jawon has recently had a daughter and is now in full force to make life for children better than what he had.
Jawon Runway Avenue Berry recorded his first in-studio song in 2009 and fell in love with the recording process. Making music would be a way for him to express his feelings of the struggles of the streets and hopefully stop someone from making some of the same mistakes he made. Thinking of the difficult road he had taken up to now and knowing he was ready to take flight and change the game – his life – stop the cycle, he came up with the stage name “Runway Ave.” He started taking his rapping career more serious and began performing at local bars and at open mics all over the DMV.
He always has been a fan of listening to a variety of different kinds of music and feels that there is no limit to what you can enjoy. “I loved growing up listening to Marvin Gaye, Lil Boosie and Earth, Wind and Fire,” explains Jawon. Now as an inspiring musician years later Runway Ave has a lot to say and wants you to hear his story.
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