Mal Apologizes To J. Cole After Calling Emotional Tour Moment "Performative"

J. Cole’s massive run on The Fall-Off tour has been delivering heavy emotional moments, but the internet always finds a way to misinterpret them. After Cole shed tears during a Cleveland performance of his classic anthem "Love Yourz," Mal jumped on the New Rory & Mal podcast to call the display "performative." Now, Mal is walking those words back after getting the actual story. According to reporting from HotNewHipHop, the real context behind Cole's tears is heavy. The family of Collin Griffin, a young fan who passed away from cancer in 2018, was in the Cleveland crowd holding photos of him. Collin met Cole back in 2017 through the Make-A-Wish Foundation backstage at a Washington, D.C. show, where they shared a moment inspiring each other. Cole was even mentioned in the young fan's obituary. Before performing the track, Cole shouted out the family from the stage. Once that timeline cleared up, Mal used his platform to set things right. He explained they recorded their podcast episode before that context went public, admitting he was just talking s***. "J. Cole, my bad, bro. Nothing but love, nothing but respect," Mal said during his apology. It is a good reminder that behind the viral clips, these moments actually mean something to real people. Watch the clip below.