Boston Crowd Erupts After J. Cole Gives Cape Verdeans a Shoutout

There was plenty for J. Cole fans to get excited about Saturday night at TD Garden, but for the Cape Verdean community in attendance, one unexpected moment hit a little differently.

During the sold-out Boston stop of his The Fall Off World Tour, J. Cole took a moment to recognize the immigrant families that have helped shape the city and surrounding communities.

“A lot of people in Boston whose parents was not born in America. They came over here and made something of themselves, you know what I mean?” Cole told the crowd. After a brief pause, he followed it up with, “Shout out to all the Cape Verdeans in this motherf------ building,” sending TD Garden into an eruption.

A Proud Moment for New Bedford's DJ Fresco

Among those soaking in the moment was New Bedford DJ Bryan “DJ Fresco” Ribeiro, a proud Cape Verdean who couldn't help but smile as one of his favorite artists acknowledged his culture in front of thousands.

Here's the moment (warning: NSFW for language) J.Cole delivered the line that shook the Garden:

“As a Cape Verdean and a J. Cole fan, it feels like a full circle moment,” Ribeiro said. “Especially from such a genuine artist like him. After the summer we’ve had so far, the recognition only adds to the incredible amount of pride we’ve felt!”

It goes without saying that Cape Verdean pride has certainly been on full display lately.

A Shoutout That Meant Something More

From the excitement surrounding Cabo Verde's underdog performance on the world soccer stage this year to the thousands of people who recently packed Onset for the Cape Verdean Festival, celebrating the culture, food and music has been impossible to miss around the SouthCoast and now on an international platform.

Boston Crowd Erupts At T.D. Garden After J. Cole Gives Cape Verdeans a Shoutout

That is what made Cole's simple shoutout feel much bigger. Boston and the SouthCoast are home to generations of Cape Verdean families who have built businesses, raised families, created music and proudly kept their culture alive.

READ MORE: Massachusetts Is Home to Most Cape Verdean Americans

For one night inside TD Garden, one of the biggest names in hip-hop made sure they knew he saw them, and judging by the roar from the crowd, the Cape Verdean community most certainly heard him.