He remembers the budding spark of love upon hearing The Sugar Hill Gang’s, “Rapper’s Delight.” Which grew into an inferno following his first listen of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s, 1982 social commentary track, “The Message.”
With an innate strong passion for reading, he began crafting rhymes and cultivating a variety of skills in many different art forms such as painting, barbering, poetry, fashion design, storytelling, and filmmaking.
Following his graduation from T.W. Josey High School in 1992, he joined THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS. That experience opened his eyes to an entire world outside of the streets on his hometown and matured him into a man.
Most people say, “When you meet Crown, you’ll know it.” He boasts an unmistakable voice and diction, with a distinct personality and eclectic fashion style to match.
For the last few decades, A.R. Crown has called Atlanta home, but he is a world traveler. He is quoted as saying, “Life isn’t necessarily about where you’re going, but the experience of getting there.”
Now, at age 50, he reflects that life has not been all roses for him. He has had to fight many internal battles and spirits. Mental health issues, alcoholism and other addictions almost destroyed him, but he is now proud of his war wounds and often muses, “God allowed me to walk through the fire, so I can come back carrying buckets of water for those still in it.
A.R. Crown uses his voice, music, fashion, and his films, to speak on healing, affirming, forgiveness, and MANNA FESTing. After listening to some of his cogitations, you will be bestowed with a new mindset, a burning fire in your spirit and the heart of more than a conqueror.
Some of his movie industry heroes include Tyler Perry and Spike Lee. They both, with their idiosyncratic ways of telling a story, inspired A.R. Crown to attend film school, where he obtained the knowledge and equipment to direct and produce his own visuals and movies. In addition to those two, James Brown, who hails from his hometown, inspired his work ethic and Barack Obama for giving him, “The Audacity Of Hope.”