Migos Rapper Takeoff Dead at 28 in Houston Shooting
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Migos rapper Takeoff was killed in an early-morning shooting in Houston, Texas, authorities confirm.
The 28-year-old, whose real name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, was shot dead Tuesday outside the front door of a downtown bowling alley, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner confirmed in an afternoon press conference.
"This morning at 2:34 a.m. officers received a call of a shooting in progress. Officers arrived there shortly thereafter — a downtown location, Billiards & Bowling Alley. They came upon a male who was deceased. That male has been identified as Kirsnick Ball, better known as Takeoff. He's a member of the Migos rap group, out of Atlanta," Finner said.
"I got many calls from Houston and outside of Houston. And everyone spoke of what a great young man this is, how peaceful he is. What a great artist."
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Scott Garfitt/Shutterstock Takeoff
He continued, "I spoke to this young man's mother just an hour ago — she flew in here from out of town. I want everybody to understand the pain, the suffering of a mother. Very tough. And I told her, as we stand with any victim of violence or any homicide victim, their family, we stand with them in this city, in this police department. I want to thank our homicide unit under the direction of Commander Spears for doing great work, time and time again."
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Finner added, "I ask that we all pray for his mother, his family, and all of his friends who are in deep pain and shock still right now. We have no reason to believe he was involved in anything criminal at the time. Peaceful, loving, great entertainer."
Takeoff was at a private party with fellow Migos rapper Quavo, when an altercation broke out. Quavo, 31, was not injured in the incident.
Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage Takeoff
Sgt. Michael Arrington with the homicide division then stepped to the mic to elaborate on the crime scene, asking any witnesses to please come forward. Suspects have yet to be named or arrests made in the shooting.
"A private party was booked out for the event — after that ended, a large group of people gathered at the front door area outside of the building, and that led to an argument where the shooting took place from the disagreement," he explained.
"A lot of the people that were there fled the scene and did not stick around to give a statement. We're asking them to either call us at the homicide division or if they would like to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers. We're looking for any information at this time — any videos, any information. We need all of y'all to send those to us so we can solve this case. We're looking for anything to help us. We want to find justice for this family."
"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," his label, Quality Control, said in a statement Tuesday evening. "Please respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss."
Takeoff and his uncle, Quavo, were part of the rap trio that also included his cousin, Offset, 30. The group, from Lawrenceville, Georgia, had released music for nearly 15 years.
As Migos, their breakthrough single "Versace" was released in 2013 — and their album Yung Rich Nation followed in 2015. Two years later, they released their hit album Culture, which featured hit songs "Bad & Boujee" — though Takeoff was not featured in it because he was unavailable for the recording session — and "Slippery." Later, in 2018, they released Culture II, followed by Culture III in 2020.
RELATED: Quavo and Takeoff Release New Single Without Offset, Fueling Speculation He's Left Migos
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty
Most recently, however, new releases and promotional materials indicated Takeoff and Quavo were moving forward without Offset. Though each member had released solo projects in the past, the pair continued to work together, occasionally calling themselves "Unc and Phew."
They released the song "Us vs. Them" with Gucci Mane, their second single since May that did not feature Offset. Neither "Us vs. Them" nor the previous single, "Hotel Lobby," were released under the Migos name; they were instead credited simply to Quavo and Takeoff.
Kenneth Cappello Takeoff and Quavo
And on Oct. 7, Quavo and Takeoff dropped their collaborative album, Only Built for Infinity Links, featuring their latest hit, "Messy." The pair released the music video for the song on Monday.
Takeoff released his first solo track "Intruder" in 2017 and his debut album, The Last Rocket, in 2018.
He also collaborated with several musicians including Jose Guapo, Chill Will, Calvin Harris, Rich the Kid and YRN Lingo.
