Photo Credit: Barry Brecheisen/WireImage
Migos Rapper Takeoff Shot & Killed in Houston
Takeoff, a member of Atlanta group Migos, was shot and killed in Houston early Tuesday morning. He was only 28 years old.
Takeoff, member of culture-shifting Atlanta trio Migos, was killed early Tuesday morning (November 1) in Houston. The rapper, whose real name was Kirshnik Khari Ball, was at 810 Billiards & Bowling Houston with his fellow Migos and Unc & Phew member Quavo, who is also his uncle. According to TMZ, Ball was playing a dice game at the Houston bowling alley when a fight broke out just after 2:40 AM local time.
Ball was inflicted with a gunshot wound in his head or neck when Quavo and others tried to help, but Ball was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people are said to have been shot and taken to nearby hospitals in private vehicles. Earlier in the evening, Ball and Quavo were driving around with Jas Prince, record executive and son of Rap-A-Lot CEO J. Prince, celebrating his birthday. Details of the shooting are still developing.
\u201cUPDATE: 2 other victims taken in private vehicles to hospitals.\n\nMedia partners: We are not releasing an identity of the deceased victim until his family is notified & ID verified by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.\n\nAny updates on the incident will be posted here.\u201d— Houston Police (@Houston Police) 1667297081
Ball was the youngest member of Quality Control Records act Migos, partnered alongside Ball's aforementioned uncle Quavo and cousin Offset. The Gwinnett County-raised trio formed in 2008 releasing early mixtapes Juug Season and No Label in 2011 and 2012, respectively, before dropping their breakout mixtape Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas) in 2013 with hits "Versace" and "Hannah Montana." A slew of notable songs followed, including "Handsome and Wealthy" and "Pipe It Up," before Migos scored their first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Bad and Boujee" featuring Lil Uzi Vert in 2016. Takeoff wasn't on the song. And a running gag from the song's success is Takeoff saying "Do it look like I'm left off 'Bad and Boujee'?" in an interview with hosts of former music talk show Everyday Struggle in 2017. The song was included on Migos' second LP Culture.
In 2018, the group released their third album Culture II before releasing their own respective solo albums. Takeoff released his first solo LP The Last Rocket in November 2018, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and would be his final solo album during his lifetime.
In 2021, Migos released their third and final album as a trio, Culture III, before Offset left the group to pursue solo endeavors, including the HBO Max series The Hype. Takeoff and Quavo established their rap duo Unc & Phew this year, releasing their first and only studio effort Only Built for Infinity Links in October. On Monday (October 31), the duo released a music video for their latest single, "Messy."
