Drake, Gucci Mane and More React to Takeoff’s Shocking Death: ‘God Help Us’

Ethan Shanfeld and Thania Garcia
·7 min read
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The hip-hop world was shattered Tuesday morning when Takeoff, of the rap trio Migos, was killed in a shooting in Houston.

Rap artists and execs have flocked to Twitter to pay tribute to Takeoff, who contributed to some of hip-hop’s biggest hits over the last decade, including “Bad and Boujee,” “Stir Fry,” “Walk It Talk It” and “MotorSport.”

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Takeoff was shot and killed at a bowling alley in downtown Houston where he and Quavo, his uncle and Migos bandmate, were playing dice early morning Tuesday. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, while Quavo was unharmed. Two other people were shot and taken to the hospital.

Born Kirsnik Khari Ball, Takeoff was born in Lawrenceville, Ga., in 1994. He began rapping with Quavo and his cousin Offset in 2008. Originally called Polo Club, the trio changed their name to Migos and released their first mixtape, “Juug Season,” in 2011.

Drake paid tribute to the late rapper with a photo of the two sharing the stage during their co-headlining Aubrey and the Three Migos Tour in 2018. In the caption, he wrote: “Got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch. That’s what I’ll focus on for now. rest easy space man.”

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Gucci Mane, a long-time friend and frequent collaborator of the Migos, responded to the news early Tuesday morning in a tweet, simply writing “R.I.P.”

Migos’ label, Quality Control Music, issued a statement late Tuesday evening via Instagram. The group wrote: “It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirsnick Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff. Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated.”

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SZA said that she was “genuinely creeped out” by the state of the world, adding her well wishes for the rapper’s family and friends.

Machine Gun Kelly reflected on his time working with the Migos on their first mixtape and praised Takeoff and Quavo’s joint album, “Only Built For Infinity Links,” which was released earlier this October. In a separate tweet, he added, “i tell my brothers i love em everytime i get off the phone because of shit like this.”

Rapper Ugly God emphasized the rap trio’s influence in the hip-hop world, writing on Twitter that they had “changed the whole cadence of rap” when they debuted.

Stacey Abrams, an American politician and Democratic candidate for the Governor of Georgia, sent her condolences and acknowledged the rapper’s lasting legacy in hip-hop.

American rapper Lecrae said: “No hot takes. No profound thoughts. Just sad that another rapper, son, brother, and friend has been killed. God be with all those who feel the loss.”

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Their breakout hit, “Versace,” vaulted them to stardom in 2013 and landed a remix from Drake. Since then, Migos has become one of the most successful hip-hop acts in recent years and one of the most successful rap groups of all time, with some 20 platinum and gold singles and albums certified by the RIAA, including their Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Bad and Boujee.” Their signature sound — short, staccato lyrics from one answered by the other two with a word or verbal sound effect — has been often imitated. Migos’ other Top 10 hits include “Stir Fry,” “MotorSport” with Cardi B and “Walk It Talk It” with Drake.

While there was no official word on the group splitting, in recent years Offset has been working solo while Takeoff and Quavo had been working together as a duo. Last month, the pair released a duo album, “Built for Infinity Links.”

Takeoff released one solo album, 2018’s “The Last Rocket,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

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