On the 1st November, 2022, Migos rapper Takeoff was tragically reported dead, age 28 after fatal shooting in Houston, Texas.
Takeoff was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia in 1994. He was a part of the Hip-Hop group Migos with his uncle, Quavo and his cousin, Offset. Migos officially formed in 2008 under the name Polo Club however changed their name to Migos in 2011 after the release of their mixtape ‘Juug Season’ .The group made their break through to the mainstream industry in 2013 with the smash hit Versace. This was also remixed by the GOAT himself, Drake who is known for spotting the hottest artists and having the ‘Midas touch‘ for success on careers. The group went on to achieve their first No.1 single featuring Lil Uzi Vert, called ‘Bad and Boujee‘ in 2016.
Takeoff released his own solo project – ‘The Last Rocket‘ in 2018 in 2018 which was had a positive reception from fans. His latest album was a joint project between him and Quavo, ‘Only Built for Infinity Links‘ dropped on October 7th 2022. The Migos first started with Quavo and Takeoff while Offset was in prison, sadly before Takeoff had past he trio had broken up after Offset left the group.
Takeoff’s untimely death stunned the world. A rapper whom is known by all to be calm and collected, was unfortunatly caught in the crossfire of gunshots over an argument which stemmed from a dice gambling game.
In quoting Takeoff in his ‘Drink Champs’ episode: ‘Give me my flowers. I don’t want them when I ain’t here‘. Takeoff was certainly the most underrated Migos member despite arguably being the most talented, his lyrical flow and free-styling ability is backed by his co-members Quavo and Offset to be the greatest of the group. The trio were not only friends but family. It was Takeoff that was the one who told Quavo (his uncle) to start rapping and taking it serious. The impact the Migos’ had was one which undoubtably changed the world and influenced music and Hip-Hop culture today.
Takeoff is a talent who will never be forgotten and his legacy in music will live on forever.
Words by Tatenda Madubeko
