IN yet another tragic fatal shooting which has taken the life of a promising musician, the rapper Takeoff was killed after a shooting in Texas early Tuesday morning (Tuesday night in Malaysia).
One-third of Georgia trap legends Migos, Takeoff, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was 28 years old.
Authorities were called to the scene after reports that several people had been shot at Houston bowling alley.
Takeoff and his uncle (and fellow Migos member) Quavo were reportedly playing dice when the shooting broke out. Takeoff was struck by a bullet, and pronounced dead on the scene.
The pair had just released their first album as a duo, Only Built for Infinity Links, on Oct 7.
Best known for his work in Migos with Quavo and Quavo’s cousin Offset, Takeoff first began producing beats in middle school and started laying rhymes with his family members soon after.
While Quavo initially had dreams of making it big in sports, Takeoff was always focused on music. Quavo had referred to Takeoff as “the best rapper in Migos” earlier this year.
In recent years, some distance grew between Migos’ members, with Takeoff and Quavo continuing forward as a duo sans Offset.
In an interview last month, Takeoff expressed that regardless of uncertainty about Migos’ future, family is family.
News of Takeoff’s death spread like fire through the hip hop community and tributes came pouring in.
“I got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch,“ Drake said on Instagram, posting a picture of the two performing on stage.
While Outkast sent their condolences on Twitter, SZA cried over the passing.
Posting several pictures of him with Takeoff and Migos, DJ Steve Aoki said he “could not believe the news”.
Actress Keke Palmer took to Instagram and called the death “horrible”, while also calling out how the video of Takeoff dying being spread online as “tragic”.
