At just 28, rapper Takeoff had cultivated a rich hip-hop legacy with Migos – along with a reputation as the trio’s most lowkey member – before he was killed in a shooting early Tuesday.
Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene outside a Houston bowling alley, police there said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. No arrests had been made, and police were imploring witnesses to come forward with information.
However, a review of some of his last posts has triggered speculations that the rapper had an eerie feeling.
“It’s time to give me my flowers,” Takeoff said on a recent episode of the podcast “Drink Champs,” acknowledging his reputation as “chill.” “I don’t want them later on when I’m not here.”
His very last post on Instagram came few hours before himself, his cousin, Quavo and some few friends hit the club.
Takeoff’s last post on social media was a photo posted just before the shooting on his Instagram story. It was a photo of himself, sound tracked by Playboi Carti’s “Stop Breathing.”
Quavo and Takeoff put out a Halloween-themed music video for “Messy” just a day before Takeoff’s death. The video, which begins with Takeoff waking up and recounting a messy dream, had racked up around 1.5 mill ..
The duo were both in Houston on Monday. Quavo, who posted a video of himself driving around the city with friends to his Instagram story, had yet to comment publicly. Offset had not released a statement either.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said he received many calls about Takeoff after the shooting.
“Everyone spoke of what a great young man he is, how peaceful he is, what a great artist,” Finner said. He wouldn’t speculate on whether Takeoff was the intended target, and asked “everyone to understand the pain, the suffering of” Takeoff’s mother.
Born Kirsnick Khari Ball, Takeoff grew up in suburban Atlanta – Gwinnett County was less than flatteringly name-checked in a couple Migos tracks – alongside the two other members of the group. Quavo was his uncle and Offset was his cousin, and the trio was raised in large part by Takeoff’s mom.
Takeoff was the youngest of the three, and viewed as the most laidback member. He didn’t appear in headlines at the rate of Offset, who is married to Cardi B, and he wasn’t in high demand as a featured act on top 10 tracks like Quavo, who has guested on hits with Post Malone, DJ Khaled and Drake.
Quavo and Offset have also both released solo albums, unlike Takeoff. But despite being more reserved, he did a lot of his talking through his rhymes. He had hoped to gain more respect for his lyrical ability through “Only Built for Infinity Links,” an album he released with Quavo just last month.
Migos broke out nearly a decade ago with the 2013 hit “Versace,” which hit even greater heights in popularity though a Drake remix. The group had other radio-friendly singles such as “Bando” and “Hannah Montana.” The trio later earned Grammy nominations for best ralbum with 2018’s “Culture,” while a track off it, “Bad and Boujee” nabbed a nod for best rap performance.
Nonetheless, Takeoff’s musical presence played a major role in helping the Migos become one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. The trio took flight with their rapid-fire triplet flow, a rap style when three notes are performed in one beat that they helped popularize.
