Jay-Z stops show to hug cancer survivor

Los Angeles: Rapper Jay-Z stopped a concert to invite a cancer survivor on stage for a hug.

The “99 problems” hitmaker called a timeout in the middle of his show at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, after spotting Christina Cruz in the crowd when he read the placard she was holding: “I beat cancer twice to see you. I love you! Selfie or hug?”, eonline.com reports.

Jay-Z said to Cruz: “You beat cancer twice. I got to give you at least a hug.”

The star then brought her on stage, embraced her and had a quick chat with her before carrying on with the concert.

Cruz later wrote on social media: “I can’t believe he pulled me on stage and I got to hug him not once but twice! Truly a dream come true! Thank you Jay-Z”.

The “Empire state of mind” hitmaker also halted a gig in Cleveland, Ohio, in November to give an inspirational message to a nine-year-old girl, telling her she could be President of the United States one day if she wanted to.

Jay-Z said: “You can be anything that you want to be little girl. I got to tell you something – at this very moment America is way more sexist than they are racist. But you young lady, you got the potential to be the next president of the United States, you believe that.”

A video posted on social media shows the little girl nodding enthusiastically to rapturous applause from the crowd.

—IANS