Takeoff, one Atlanta’s top vocal technician who was a member of the chart-topping group Migos and whose singsong flow helped define Atlanta’s ever-evolving, influential rap sound, was shot and killed over the course of the night outside of a bowling alley in Houston.He was 28.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner confirmed the rapper’s death.According to the police, a 24-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the police, the shooting took place on the third floor near the front door of 810 Billiards & Bowling following the conclusion of a private party with approximately forty people present.According to them, a fight broke out and at least two guns were used to fire shots, causing a lot of people to flee.
Chief Finner stated of Takeoff, “We have no reason to believe that he was involved in anything criminal at the time.”
No suspects have been captured, the specialists said, and they mentioned that any observers who left the scene offer extra facts.
Chief Finner stated, “Sometimes the hip-hop community gets a bad name.”I’m calling on everyone, including Houston’s hip-hop artists and artists all over the country: we must police ourselves.I love and respect so many talented people in that community, both men and women, and we must all unite to prevent that industry from being destroyed.
Employees told police an argument took place after the party ended when a large group of people gathered at the front door area outside of the building, which led to the shooting. At least 40 people were at the scene at the time of the shooting, Finner said.
“A lot of people that were there fled the scene and did not stick around to give a statement,” Arrington said.
Finner identified the deceased man as Kirshnik Khari Ball, also known as Takeoff of the rap group Migos.
“I got many calls from Houston and outside of Houston, and everyone spoke of what a great young man he is, how peaceful he is, what a great artist (he is),” Finner said, later adding that Takeoff was very well respected and nonviolent.
“I would not expect him to be involved … We have no reason to believe that he was involved in anything criminal at the time,” Finner said.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said they have met with Takeoff’s mother.
“It doesn’t matter how famous you are. You may not be famous at all,” Turner said. “Anybody who loses his or her life is a life lost, and there are family members and friends who are grieving as a result.”
It was Takeoff’s childhood obsession with Southern hip-hop that first inspired Migos as young teenagers in the Atlanta suburbs of Gwinnett County, on its way to becoming one of the biggest rap acts of the last decade, known for hits like “Versace” and “Bad and Boujee.”
Takeoff became one of the trio’s favorite connoisseurs and was credited with initiating the stuttering triplet delivery that eventually spread into hip-hop and the pop sphere, even though he avoided fame and kept almost no public profile.
Drew Findling, a legal counselor for Departure and compatriot to many rap stars, referred to his demise as “a staggering misfortune, especially for Atlanta.”
Mr. Findling stated, “When you’re around Takeoff, there’s a sense of peace about his aura.”He looks at you, listens to you, and is more concerned with what you have to say than he is with what he has to say.Takeoff was becoming more widely known.His time had come to shine.
Migos, which also included rappers Offset and Quavo, was founded as a family bedroom act northeast of the city, in an area that Migos came to brand as the “Nawfside,” before becoming international rap superstars and ushering in a new period of dominance for Atlanta music in the era of streaming.
The trio rose to national prominence in 2013 with the single “Versace,” following the release of its first independent mixtape as Migos, “Juug Season,” in 2011. Following the release of “Bando,” the trio gained local buzz and tastemaker attention with the track.Drake made an appearance on the remix, which was never released on the commercial market. He imitated the group’s growing signature pattern of rapid-fire, rollicking raps, called a triplet flow, in which three syllables are stacked rhythmically onto one beat to create a hypnotic effect.
The review of Migos’ 2013 mixtape “Y.R.N.” in the New York Times described the group as “insistent, noisy, and chaotic” and “perpetually in fifth gear.”
Migos’ signature delivery would go on to become a go-to mode for popular music throughout the 2010s, as used by artists like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande. It combined a punchy rap style that could sound sad or happy with sticky, repetitive hooks, like Takeoff’s defining choruses on “Fight Night” and “T-Shirt.”Along with songs by Rihanna, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Wonder, former President Barack Obama included “Straightenin” from Migos’ album “Culture III” on his summer playlist in 2021.
The group achieved worldwide A-list status in the latter half of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 thanks to the single “Bad and Boujee,” which featured Lil Uzi Vert but did not include Takeoff because he was not on the song.Number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Takeoff was once asked about being left off the track in a red carpet interview, drawing the visible ire of the entire group, in what may have been his defining moment outside of the recording studio.
Do I appear to have been left out of “Bad and Boujee”?In response, Takeoff mentioned how he and Quavo and Offset shared the fame and money.
One of the first streaming megahits, the track has been streamed over 1.5 billion times in the United States alone.The following album from the group, “Culture,” debuted at No.one of Migos’ two Grammy nominations and reached number one on the Billboard chart.
Takeoff compared the moment to Christmas Eve in a pre-album interview with The New York Times.His often-disappointed eyes lit up as he said, “You just know that everything you asked for is going to be there up under that Christmas tree.”Now is the time for us.
Migos has followed up “Culture” with two sequels and singles with Drake, including “MotorSport,” “I Get the Bag,” and “Walk It Talk It.”In 2018, Takeoff released his solo album, “The Last Rocket,” which debuted at No.4 on the 200 charts.The album “Only Built for Infinity Links” was released by Takeoff and Quavo last month without Offset, the third member of Migos.7.
Takeoff, whose real name is Kirsnick Khari Ball, was born on June 18, 1994, and grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. In a 2013 interview, he told music magazine The Fader that he “always wanted to rap” and found his bandmates close to home:Edna, Quavo’s hairstylist mother, raised Takeoff and his uncle Quavo.In Migos songs, she is frequently referred to as “Mama!”
Takeoff was the first of the group to get into rap music while the others were playing football. He listened to music that he found online and bought at the flea market, especially Southern rappers like Gucci Mane, T.I., Lil Wayne, and his early group the Hot Boys, which set the stage for Migos’ later success.
Takeoff and Quavo started out as a duo that was originally called Polo Club. When they were in their teens, they started playing music at the local skating rink. When Takeoff was still in middle school, they released a mixtape.Offset began visiting Edna’s house and considered Quavo and Takeoff to be his cousins.They began working together to create a catchy and distinctive sound with rolling verse waterfalls, ecstatic chanting, and background ad-libs.
The trio came to the attention of local businessmen Pierre Thomas (also known as P) and Kevin Lee (also known as Coach K), who in 2013 established the label Quality Control around the trio.Having heard the group’s first single, “Bando,” local rapper and talent scout Gucci Mane had already mentored Migos and signed them to a cash deal.
P and Coach K, on the other hand, developed a grassroots artist development strategy that they would later employ with other breakout acts like Lil Yachty and Lil Baby while Gucci Mane was in prison.
P was initially drawn to Takeoff’s music by his bouncy, melodic triplet raps, which the executive said reminded him of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from the 1990s.P later stated, “The music was crazy, but what really made me want to go hard for them was that they packed up all of their clothes and moved into the studio — literally lived there, sleeping on reclining chairs, and making music all day.”
Given his reserved demeanor and lack of self-aggrandizement, P had long regarded Takeoff as a lesser-known talent.The executive wrote on Twitter in May, “Unfortunately, he don’t,” and added, “If he cared more about this rap game, he would definitely be stepping on y’all.”
He went on to say that he had always been that way since they first met.He has remained unchanged.
Takeoff told The Fader that Migos would make about “seven songs a day” and spend no more than 15 minutes on each one, describing the group’s maximalist approach to music.Takeoff stated that working on a song for any length of time “kills the vibe.He continued, “You gotta have fun with a song and make someone laugh.”You must possess character.
A woman filed a lawsuit against Takeoff in the summer of 2020 alleging that the rapper had raped her at a house party in Encino, California. A lawyer for the rapper called the claims “patently and provably false” and said that Takeoff was known for his “quiet, reserved, and peaceful personality.”According to Pitchfork, the lack of evidence caused the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to decline to prosecute the case.
As Offset fought in court with the trio’s label, Migos had been secretive about its future.However, Quavo stated in interviews that he and Takeoff would continue as a duo, which they sometimes referred to as “Unc” and “Phew,” and that he emphasized family loyalty.
On the “Big Facts” podcast last month, Takeoff, who is typically a man of few words, stated, “We don’t know all the answers.”God is awareAdditionally, we pray, so time will tell.
