Montclair Woman Honors Late Son By Keeping His Music Alive

"I want my son's spiritual existence to continue to shine," said Naomi Johnson, the mother of hip-hop artist Deshon Johnson.

Please click this link to listen to his song https://patch.com/new-jersey/montclair/montclair-woman-honors-late-son-keeping-his-music-alive

Deshon Johnson's song released posthumously in May 2020. (Photo by Sammiya, courtesy of Naomi Johnson)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A Montclair woman is honoring the memory of her late son by keeping his music alive.

Naomi Johnson, a former teacher in Newark now living in Montclair, is the mother of Deshon Johnson, also known by his stage name, Sean Cos Mason. And it's clear that she misses him.

"I want my son's spiritual existence to continue to shine," she recently told Patch.

Earlier this month, Johnson helped to posthumously release "4 My Town," her son's tribute to Montclair, a town he was immensely proud of, she said. The song is also available on iHeart Radio, Pandora, Amazon, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music and other online stores. (Watch the YouTube video below).

Johnson, a 22-year-old Essex County College business student who graduated from Montclair High School, was struck and killed by a NJ Transit bus in Bloomfield as he was headed to his job in 2012.

A grand jury later declined to indict the driver, who was employed with Coach USA.

The aspiring hip-hop artist was working a part-time job at the time to help support his mother, who was disabled as a result of a car crash. His death was widely mourned in the community, including at a memorial service held shortly after his passing.

"He was a talented man who knew what he wanted to do with his life," said a friend, Matt Fernandez. "He was very driven and very motivated."

Questions surrounding Johnson's death continued, however, with some people alleging that authorities didn't handle the case properly.

"He's my only child," a grief-stricken Naomi said after Johnson's death. "It's like my breath has been taken away."

While nothing can replace her son, there is a measure of solace in helping his talent reach other people, Johnson told Patch.

"It's important to me as Deshon's mother to keep his legacy alive through his music, so everyone gets to know him and his musical gift," she said. "Moreover, I want to carry out my son's dream by letting everyone hear his music and let his hometown know he is a product of Montclair's art community."