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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
See more tributes below:
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.