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The reactions to J. Cole’s emotion-filled performance of “Love Yourz” went viral while on tour. Some found it was a beautiful moment, while others questioned why he was brought to tears. But thanks to Gotham Hip Hop, WhatIBecame, and resurfaced articles, fans gained clarity on what was going on in the North Carolina rapper’s head.
“Today I learned that the reason J. Cole got emotional the other night performing ‘Love Yourz’ in the now viral clip was because of a kid named Collin Griffin, who he met in 2017 when Collin was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer,” Joey posted. “Collin’s Make-A-Wish was to meet Cole, and when he passed away the next year, Cole was even mentioned in his obituary. Collin met Cole backstage at a show in DC, and Dreamville took care of him with merch and the like. Cole even took the shoes off his feet and signed them for Collin, asking him to work hard to beat cancer. Collin told Cole that his music has been inspirational for him and helped him get through this difficult time, to which Cole responded ‘No, you inspire me.’ Collin broke down in tears. Fast forward to Cole’s Cleveland show over the weekend, Collin’s family attended and held up pictures of him, which Cole called out right before performing ‘Love Yourz.’ Collin loved to draw, had a great passion for music, and he lived each day to the fullest. RIP ‘We love Collin, man’ -Cole.”
Today I learned that the reason J. Cole got emotional the other night performing ‘Love Yourz’ in the now viral clip was because of a kid named Collin Griffin, who he met in 2017 when Collin was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Collin’s Make-A-Wish was to meet Cole, and when he… pic.twitter.com/IJEIPfRrHT
— Joey (@gothamhiphop) August 18, 2026
The original inspiration came from a tweet from X user WhatIBecame, who found Collin’s sister’s TikTok of the moment.
MAL Makes A Major Mistake About Cole
The revelation comes after critics like MAL went at the Forest Hills Drive rapper for being overly emotional.
“J Cole is good, this crying s*** is how you win the public back,” Mal said. “I think all the crying he’s doing was performative. He was crying during the show because he knows it would go viral… He did this to win hearts back from his hardcore fans.”
Rory wasn’t buying it though, calling his co-host a cynic. Rory did not know at the time about Collin Griffin.
We at According2HipHop honor Collin Griffin and hope his dream came true in the short time he had on earth.
Colin the kid Cole shouted out right before the song died from cancer in 2018. 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.
— Curtis Je’Ara (@WhatIBecame) August 18, 2026
