Who was Migos rapper Takeoff, killed in Houston shooting?

The hip-hop world was shocked on Tuesday (November1) with the news of Takeoff’s death at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas. A member of the American rap trio Migos, Takeoff was shot dead in an altercation according to Houston Police's press meeting. 

Takeoff’s final moments: A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department added that shots were fired during an afterparty attended by nearly 40 people outside 810 Billiards & Bowling. The spat apparently broke out following a game of dice. 

Takeoff’s uncle and fellow Migos alumnus Quavo was also present at the scene even though the latter survived with no injuries. In some graphic videos procured by TMZ, Quavo can be seen yelling for help as Takeoff got shot somewhere near the head. 

Two others were also shot and taken to the hospital. Their conditions are yet to be ascertained. As for Takeoff, he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 28 years old. 

Celebs condemn gang violence culture after the shooting: Black rappers and celebrities are condemning the death as a shameful instance of black-on-black gang violence. West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg (who himself was once charged in 1993 when his bodyguard murdered a man) went to Instagram to upload two posts that read, “Boycott Black Murder” and “Black Men deserve to grow old”.

Actor LaKeith Stanfield whose hip-hop-centric comedy series Atlanta once featured Takeoff as a guest star also put the blame on the toxic state of hip-hop music that glorifies gang violence. 

In a post criticising gangster rap, Stanfield wrote, “The dangerous toxicity associated with this glorified black serial killer and killed music and imagery got people thinking it’s cool to hurt those that look like them and ONLY them.”

Trap rapper Designer broke down in tears and announced on an Instagram story that he's quitting rap for the foreseeable future while fellow rapper Boosie also tearfully remarked, "We used to be heroes. We're targets now". 

Who was Takeoff? For those unacquainted with Migos’s discography, Takeoff (born Kirshnik Khari Ball) hailed from Lawrenceville, Georgia where he along with his uncle Quavo and Quavo’s cousin Offset were raised by his mother. 

He began rapping at the age of 16 with the family members forming a group called Polo Club in 2008. Changing their name to Migos, the group’s first project dropped in 2011, a mixtape titled Juug Season. Their music still continued being under-the-radar until they broke out with their 2013 hit Versace that debuted at 99 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

This was to follow with a straight number 1 on the Billboard charts with their 2016 breakout single Bad and Boujee, a Migos staple that attained worldwide streams partly due to its lyric “rain drop drop top” spawning viral memes. 

However, the catch is that the group’s most popular single didn’t really feature Takeoff’s vocals. This year, Quavo broke the silence regarding the decision on an episode of the Rap Radar podcast citing a “time crunch” as the reason. “I wasn’t even finna be on it. I had to do my verse on some quick, fast, in-a-rush s**t. So it was just like everybody running to the song and trying to get it done.” Takeoff only nodded in agreement. 

Takeoff still went on to be featured on the group’s other subsequent hits such as Stir Fry and Walk It Talk It (featuring Drake). Today, Migos are largely considered to be one of the pioneers of the rap subgenre trap rap, that is characterised by synthesised drum beats (snare drums to get more specific). 

Takeoff’s previous legal issues: One of Takeoff’s early run-ins with the legal authorities was in 2015 when he and fellow Migos members were arrested for possession of marijuana and one other controlled substance along with firearms as they were performing at a college fest at Georgina Southern University. 

While this did little to affect Takeoff’s reputation, a major low point was in 2020 when he got names as one of the perpetrators in a civil lawsuit filed by a female victim on charges of "sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence" at a June 2020 party in Los Angeles.

In April 2021, the LA District Attorney’s office however decided to not file criminal charges against the rapper citing insufficient evidence.

More details behind Takeoff’s killers are yet to be revealed. It is also uncertain if Migos will disband now or Quavo and Offset will continue as a duo.