WUNC - In December 2024, Onyx Williams, the son of Raheem Williams, better known around town as the rapper Jooselord, was diagnosed with a high-grade glioma, just two days after his fourth birthday. Onyx underwent months of radiation, but in October 2025, the family received news that the brain cancer was continuing to develop aggressively.
After sharing Onyx's story with the public, Williams wasn't shy to ask for help from his community. People showed up in a big way to make sure that Onyx's last days were filled with joy and adventures for him to share with his family and friends. Williams says that he wasn't surprised by the love and support from his friends in the tight-knit music community, but he never expected the story to get as big as it did.
"It wasn't just my friends, it was all these large organizations and people who stepped up and showed out," he said. "That is what was surprising, but it was so beautiful."
On Friday, Oct. 30 Williams is giving back to the city that gave so much to him and his son with All Onyx World, a festival that stretches throughout downtown Durham. The event is free to the public, but an RSVP is required to attend.
Williams says the endeavor came together in about six months, another testament to the power of the community he's helped build and maintain as a musician.
"Everybody's my friend," he said. "All the venue owners, all the artists, these are people I all know personally. I came to everybody and said, 'Hey, I'm doing this thing in the name of Onyx, would you like to be a part of it? And it was just 'yes, yes, yes, yes.'"
Across seven venues the lineup boasts over 30 eclectic acts including Jooselord himself, plus other heavy hitting North Carolina musicians like G Yamazawa, Reuben Vincent, Pierce Freelon, and Cyanca. Williams says he modeled the festival after Raleigh's Hopscotch Music Festival.
"This is an artist community. Regardless of if we're punk, if we're metal, if we sing R&B, if we do soul music, or if we rap, we love each other and we care about each other and we stand together," Williams said. "I think this is a great representation of that. The cause happens to be Onyx, but it didn't have to be to make this happen."
The festival will also include activities for children, skate lessons from Manifest Skate Shop, and the Museum of Left Behind, a pop-up exhibition where community members were invited to contribute items left behind by loved ones who have passed away.
"That's another thing that's so beautiful about this. It's a collaboration with all these different entities that already existed and said 'Hey, I can bring something to this,'" Williams said. "Anything another artist wants to bring to the festival, let's do it."
In the end, Williams says that he hopes people walk away from All Onyx World feeling motivated and inspired by the life that his son led.
"I am a very sad person right now. I lost the love of my life, and I'm still able to put this on," he said.
"Onyx was five, and his name was big enough for the city to want to make this all happen, so you as an individual are important. One person can change the world. All it takes is to wake up and make a decision to be great, regardless of what your circumstances are. Onyx is forever. Onyx is hope."
