Takeoff, the third member of Migos along with rappers Quavo and Offset, has died. The 28-year-old rapper, real name Kirshnik Khari Ball, was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston where he and Quavo were playing dice around 2:30 a.m.; Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people at the facility were shot and taken to the hospital while Quavo was unharmed. TMZ first reported the news, which was later confirmed by a local Houston outlet, this morning.
On Twitter, friends and fans paid tribute to the late rapper. “I remember Takeoff as a cool guy,” boxer Chris Eubank Jr. wrote. “I can’t believe I have to say this again about another young black star dying for no reason, something really needs to change. in the industry.”
“Rest in peace Takeoff, I spoke to him too,” Twitch streamer Adin Ross wrote. “I’m in shock right now I can’t believe it. I pray to god it’s fake. This shit is not fair bro wtf.”
Takeoff was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia in 1994. He began rapping with Quavo and Offset, his uncle and cousin, respectively, in 2008 under the collective name Polo Club. In 2011, the trio released Juug Season, their debut mixtape as Migos. “Growing up, I was trying to do it with music. I was just grinding, which is what I loved to do,” Takeoff told The Fader in 2017. “Just doing something and creating for myself…I got my own pleasure out of it, because that’s what I loved do. I’d wait for Quavo to come home from football practice and play him my songs.”
In 2013, Migos released Versace, their first mainstream hit. The song was notable for popularizing the triplet flow, Migos’ signature rapid-fire cadence, within modern rap, and was eventually remixed by Toronto rapper Drake, who had a long association with all three members of the group.
Migos is best known for their 2016 collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert Bad and Boujee, which reached number one in the US, as well as the Top 10 hits MotorSport, featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, and Walk It Talk It, with drake As a solo artist, Takeoff released an album, 2018’s The Last Rocket, which debuted at No. 4 in the US, and a duo record, last month’s Only Built for Infinity Links, with Quavo.
The Guardian has approached representatives of Takeoff for comment.
More to follow.