J. Cole Gets Emotional Performing 'Love Yourz' After Seeing Family of Late Fan Whose Obituary Mentioned Him

J. Cole's emotional performance of 'Love Yourz' has gone viral after fans linked his tears to the family of Collin Griffin, a young cancer patient he met years earlier after the teenager's wish was to meet the rapper.

A clip from Cole's recent Cleveland show showed the rapper visibly fighting back tears while performing 'Love Yourz,' one of his most recognised songs about gratitude, hardship and perspective. At first, some viewers were unsure what had caused the emotional moment. Others praised it as a rare display of vulnerability from an artist known for keeping his emotions private.

The reason soon became clearer after fans connected the performance to Collin Griffin, an Ohio teenager who was diagnosed with Stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in 2017. Collin died the following year, but his family attended Cole's Cleveland show and held up photographs of him from the crowd.

Collin's Family Held Up His Photos

The story resurfaced after X user @gothamhiphop shared a TikTok posted showing the moment.

'Colin the kid Cole shouted out right before the song died from cancer in 2018,' another user wrote. 'Prior to that he met him and took a picture. Cole was included in the obituary and the family was still coming out to support 8 years later. I believe that is what moved him to tears.'

Another user, Austin Diller, who identified himself as Collin's older brother, responded to clarify the circumstances surrounding the meeting.

'I'm Collins older brother & I truly appreciate this,' he wrote. 'Wanted to clarify that it was Collins make a wish, but the organization wasnt able to make it work.'

He said Collin's father reached out to Bas, the Dreamville rapper and longtime J. Cole collaborator, who then helped arrange the meeting.

'They dont do it for the flowers but they deserve all of them,' he added.

How Bas Helped Make the Meeting Happen

According to a 2017 report, Collin was 13 when he was referred to Make-A-Wish after his diagnosis. His wish was to meet J. Cole. When the process became uncertain, Collin's father, Robert, looked for another way to make the meeting happen.

He had previously taken Collin to a J. Cole concert in 2015, where they met Bas and took a photograph together. Robert later used that connection to contact Bas on social media, asking whether he could help arrange the meeting. Bas reportedly replied the same day and asked him to check his direct messages.

Soon after, Collin, his parents and his three siblings were invited to Cole's Washington, DC, show. They were escorted in by Bas's security team, treated as VIP guests and given Dreamville merchandise.

After the concert, Collin met Cole backstage. His father later said the two spoke for about an hour. At one point, Collin complimented Cole's shoes. Cole reportedly removed them, signed them and gave them to Collin, encouraging him to continue fighting his cancer.

Collin told Cole that his music had inspired him and helped him through treatment. Cole's response was simple, 'No, you inspire me.' Collin reportedly became emotional.

Criticism Turns Into Understanding

Before the wider context emerged, some critics accused Cole of being performative. On his podcast, media personality Mal suggested the rapper's tears were an attempt to regain public support.

His co-host Rory pushed back, describing the reaction as overly cynical. Fans later argued that the background behind the moment changed how it was viewed.

What initially appeared to be a viral concert moment was connected to a much deeper personal memory of a grieving family, a young fan who never forgot Cole, and a rapper reminded of the teenager who once told him his music helped him through one of the most difficult periods of his life.