By Cameron Lee
December 3, 2025
Onyx Williams, the five-year-old son of Durham rapper Raheem Williams, better known as Jooselord, had an unexpected seizure in the early hours of a November morning in 2024.
“He had a tumor in his head, and then they removed the tumor, and we ate Thanksgiving dinner in the hospital because he was healing,” Williams recalled.
Then, two days after Onyx’s fourth birthday on December 5, 2024, they found out the tumor was cancerous.
“I will never forget where I was. We got the news that… he had high-grade glioma… brain cancer.”
Terrifying words for any parent, it rocked Williams’ world.
“He did radiation. And then after he finished his radiation treatment, he was on medication that takes down the swelling that radiation induces,” Williams said. “So he’s been getting those treatments for, like, months, and then recently, they found two more while we were on a Make-A-Wish trip.
Just a day before Williams’ birthday this year — a celebration he marks annually with a show that has become a Triangle-area tradition — he learned that Onyx’s outlook was dire and that he might not have much time left.
For many hip-hop fans in North Carolina, Williams is simply known as “Joose,” and he has always worn his emotions openly on the all-black attire he often dons at his live shows. He’s cultivated a devoted fanbase — or “pirates,” as he affectionately calls them — many of whom have been with him since his impressive 2018 debut double-album, S.K.U.L.L. (Nights I Can’t Remember and Days I Won’t Forget).
Onyx, who recently turned five years old, is named after the Queens rap group Onyx, whom Williams was quite fond of while living in New York City, before moving to Durham at the age of 12. His name also represents the black gemstone, which is believed to absorb negative energy and provide strength.
“He wants to make friends. He wants to meet people,” Williams said. “Onyx has a thing where he verbally asks people, ‘Hey, will you be my friend?’ before he plays with them. He just wants to hang out with people… I call him the mayor.”
Williams’ personality isn’t much different; if you go anywhere with him around Durham or Raleigh, he’ll likely run into a fan, a collaborator, a friend, or a confidant. He is a man of the people and loves being part of the community. The same community amplified Onyx’s story across the state — while many already knew about his diagnosis, it was the core music and arts communities in Durham, Raleigh, and Charlotte that helped spread his wishes for his son across the internet after his devastating social media post on November 10.
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“It’s the most helpless I’ve ever felt in my life. And for people that know me… to become so invested… means something to me,” Williams said. “All of this stuff is coming from people who just want to see something happen for Onyx. And that is beautiful. That’s like what everybody says humanity is missing. Onyx is showing the world that it’s not missing.”
The story was quickly picked up by ABC11’s Akilah Davis, and the following day, LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central University basketball legend and longtime head coach, saw the segment and reached out to Williams directly.
Onyx got to be the honorary assistant coach at the North Carolina Central vs. UNC Tar Heels basketball game at the Dean Smith Center on November 14, where he hung out with the Eagles players, broke down the huddle, received gifts, and was celebrated at center court in front of thousands, with NCCU players and coaches wearing “All in for Onyx” T-shirts.
Then the Hornets reached out after multiple people contacted the team to help orchestrate a dream day at the Knicks game. Onyx received his own locker — complete with a custom jersey, sneakers, and a basketball — met Brandon Miller and Hornets mascot Hugo, and sat courtside with his dad and best friend, Tatum.
They have several experiences lined up over the holidays with the Hurricanes, Panthers, and monster truck rallies, which he loves the most.
“It ain’t about sports. It ain’t about players,” Williams said. “He likes interactions with people. When we go out in public — I take him, like, to a play place — and he just runs around and eventually makes a friend.”
Right now, Onyx undergoes radiation treatments on weekday mornings, usually finishing by 10 a.m., though the treatments can only continue for so long. The tumors have slightly affected some of his motor skills, primarily on the right side of his body, but he remains a normal child, brimming with radiant energy and wonder.
“He has no concept of his own mortality yet… He knows he has brain cancer,” Williams said. “He’s still such a baby… he doesn’t know he’s fighting for his life every day… and I’d like to keep it that way. I just want him to be a kid.”
Williams says that while Onyx is only five years old, he wants to be a YouTuber like Blippi, the children’s educational entertainer he met on the Make-A-Wish trip. He and his creative team are currently working on Onyx’s channel and recap videos of his latest adventures.
Williams is still managing his music career, pouring his emotions into his craft as a way to cope with the pain of the harsh realities his son may have to face, while also wanting to deliver a bigger message to those following the story and rooting for his son.
“People think they’re gonna meet and get a couple flicks with the kid with cancer, and then they see his personality… he makes you believe. And I want people to believe. I want people to believe in other people. I want people to believe in themselves. I want people to know that goodness exists, and it exists within this child.”
The family of Onyx Williams has set up a GoFundMe to help cover his radiation treatments and medical expenses.
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