'Rest easy space man': Rapper Drake pays heartbreaking tribute to slain colleague Takeoff
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Tributes have been pouring in for rapper Takeoff, the youngest member of the hip-hop trio Migos that also has rappers Quavo, Takeoff's uncle, and Offset, his cousin. Takeoff, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari, was shot dead in the wee hours of November 1 in the bowling alley in Houston when they were reportedly playing dice at 2.20 am.
Takeoff was "announced dead on the scene" — he was just 28. However, no arrests have been made yet in the incident while the police were imploring witnesses to come forward. Takeoff was viewed as the most "laidback member" of Migos. "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", Daily Mail reported.
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'What does she need to do?': Heartbreaking clip shows Quavo's desperate effort to save Takeoff
Aubrey Drake Graham, the Canadian superstar rapper, popularly known as Drake, 36, and Migos have had an extensive professional relationship, as they collaborated on tracks including 2021's 'Having Our Way', 2018's 'Walk It Talk It'. Drake's 2013 remix of the Migos track 'Versace' helped put the musical trio on the map in the first place. "I got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch. That’s what I’ll focus on for now ..rest easy space man Take," Drake wrote while sharing a picture of them performing together.
Takeoff, born on June 18, 1994, grew up in the Atlanta suburbs of Gwinnett County. He spent much of his childhood with Quavo and Offset, the three of them even living together for many years in the same small house with Quavo’s mother. A fan of professional wrestling from a young age, Takeoff once convinced the other two to help him turn the backyard trampoline into a makeshift ring.
On Drink Champs Podcast, Takeoff had recently made a chilling remark that seems portentous in hindsight. He had said, "...time to give me my flowers. I don’t want them when I ain’t here." Despite being more reserved, Take expressed himself 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.
On Monday, October 31, Takeoff and Quavo had promoted their new music video 'Messy' on Instagram. The video begins with Takeoff waking up from a messy dream. Tributes flooded social media too, with scores of heartbroken fans still in shock and refusing to believe the news. Many shared videos and photos of the rapper on different social media platforms. Rap TV also shared a picture of Takeoff and Quavo as Kids.
"This is horrible. From the tragedy of the death to the tragedy of there being a video of it online. It’s all just tragic and I am so sorry to his whole family and all he touched. Really terrible," Keke wrote on his Instagram.