Rapper Takeoff from Migos shot to death in Houston | CBC News

Migos rapper Takeoff is dead after a shooting early Tuesday outside a bowling alley in Houston, a representative confirmed. He was 28.

Takeoff — whose name was Kirsnick Khari Ball — was part of Migos along with Quavo and Offset. A representative for Migos, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed to The Associated Press that Takeoff had died.

Police did not identify the person killed, only describing him as a Black male in his late 20s. Houston Police Lt. Ronnie Willkens said the man appeared to have been shot in the head or neck.

Police responded shortly after 2:30 a.m. to reports of a shooting at 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston. Once there, officers found one man dead, Houston police said.

Security guards who were in the area heard the shooting but did not see who did it, Willkens said.

Two other people were injured and taken to hospitals in private vehicles, police said.

No arrests have been announced.

Migos — comprised of Offset, Quavo and Takeoff — earned Grammy nominations for best rap album for Culture, released in 2017, and for best rap performance for that album’s Bad and Boujee. The group has also earned several BET Hip Hop Award nominations.

Weeks ago, Quavo and Takeoff released Only Built for Infinity Links, a debut album without their cousin Offset. Quavo is an uncle to Takeoff.

“Today I lost more than a brother. My twin my best friend everything,” wrote fellow rapper Rich the Kid — a frequent collaborator with Takeoff — on Instagram. 

“The most humble person I know, we used to share shoes and clothes before we made it with no problem…. I can’t stop crying I love you so much bro forever.”

Fellow rapper Ugly God also applauded Takeoff’s talent, writing in a Twitter post that Migos “changed the whole cadence of rap when they came out.”

Bernice King, CEO of the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and daughter to the late civil rights leader, also mourned Takeoff’s death on Twitter, before calling for societal changes to reduce similar violence in the future. 

“I mourn that such frivolous violence has ended your life…. We have a lot of work to do in transforming the culture of violence into a culture of community awareness and care,” she wrote.