Rapper Kirshnik Khari Ball, known as Takeoff, one third of the group Migos, was killed in a shooting at a private party early Tuesday in Houston, his representative confirmed to the Associated Press.
Houston police said they would not be identifying the person killed in the shooting “until his family is notified & ID verified by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.” Police said the victim was a Black male in his 20s. The shooting took place at a bowling alley, at 2:40 a.m., local news outlet Click2Houston reported.
A reporter for Fox 26 in Houston shared a clip of a news conference, with a spokesperson confirming police “were informed” that members of the hip-hop trio Migos — Takeoff, 28, and Quavo, who is Takeoff’s uncle — were at the scene. It is not known whether Offset, the third member of the group, was at the private gathering.
The police department tweeted that its officers responded to a shooting in downtown Houston and that one victim was found dead. It later added that two other victims were “taken in private vehicles to hospitals.”
An agent and publicist representing Migos could not immediately be reached for comment early Tuesday.
Migos will not be measured by their rhymes. They’ll be measured by their consonants.
The three Atlanta rappers broke out in 2013 with their debut single “Versace,” which Washington Post critic Chris Richards at the time deemed “the real song of the summer” (despite the charts suggesting otherwise).
Other notable rappers, including Drake, Meek Mill and Soulja Boy, seized onto the sheer catchiness of “Versace,” recording their own versions of the song. Richards described it as “some sort of playground.”
“After hearing these guys enunciate the name of the Italian fashion house 158 times within 3 minutes 7 seconds,” he wrote, “it becomes apparent that this three-syllable word — with its intoxicating combination of fricative consonants — is surprisingly fun to say out loud, over and over and over.”
After releasing their debut album, “Yung Rich Nation,” in 2015, Migos experienced another surge in popularity with the 2016 single “Bad and Boujee,” which features Lil Uzi Vert and landed them a Grammy nomination.
While accepting a Golden Globe for his series “Atlanta,” comedian Donald Glover, who raps as Childish Gambino, thanked Migos “not for being in the show, but for making ‘Bad and Boujee’ — that’s the best song ever.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Migos: Takeoff shot dead in Houston aged 28
The Georgia rapper was known for creating hits such as Versace and Bad and Boujee alongside fellow rappers Quavo and Offset
Takeoff, the third member of Migos alongside the rappers Quavo and Offset, has died. The 28-year-old rapper, real name Kirshnik Khari Ball, was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston where he and Quavo were playing dice around 2.30am; Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people on the premises were shot and taken to hospital while Quavo was unharmed. TMZ first reported the news, which was later confirmed by a local Houston outlet, this morning.
On Twitter, friends and admirers paid tribute to the late rapper. “I remember Takeoff being a very down to earth, cool dude,” wrote boxer Chris Eubank Jr. “Can’t believe I’m having to say this again about another young black star being killed for no reason, something really has to change in the industry.”
“Rest in peace to Takeoff, I just spoke to him too,” wrote Twitch streamer Adin Ross. “I’m in shock right now, I can’t believe it. I pray to god it’s fake. This shit just ain’t fair bro wtf.”
Takeoff was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 1994. He began rapping with Quavo and Offset, his uncle and cousin, respectively, in 2008 under the collective name Polo Club. In 2011, the trio released Juug Season, their debut mixtape as Migos. “Growing up, I was trying to make it in music. I was grinding, which is just what I loved doing,” Takeoff told The Fader in 2017. “Just making something and creating for me … I was getting my own pleasure out of it, because it’s what I liked doing. I’d wait for Quavo to get back from football practice and I’d play my songs for him.”
In 2013, Migos released Versace, their first mainstream hit. The song was notable for popularising the triplet flow – Migos’ signature rapid-fire cadence – within modern rap, and was eventually remixed by Toronto rapper Drake, who would go on to have a long-running association with all three members of the group.
Migos are best known for their 2016 Lil Uzi Vert collaboration Bad and Boujee, which peaked at No 1 in the US, as well as Top 10 hits MotorSport, with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, and Walk It Talk It, with Drake. As a solo artist, Takeoff released one album – 2018’s The Last Rocket, which debuted at No 4 in the US – and one record as a duo, last month’s Only Built for Infinity Links, with Quavo.
The Guardian has approached representatives for Takeoff for comment.
More to follow.
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