Migos’ Takeoff, who helped change the sound of hip-hop, dead at 28

Hip-hop wouldn’t sound the same without Migos.

The trio of Atlanta rappers — Offset, Quavo and Takeoff — dominated the 2010s as they built a catalog of booming trap hits like “Handsome and Wealthy” and “Hannah Montana” before entrenching their place in the mainstream through 2016’s “Bad and Boujee,” which shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their rapid-fire triplet delivery, termed the “Migos Flow,” showed up even when they didn’t, becoming the factory-standard cadence for a generation of rappers and spilling over into pop on Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.”

But earlier this year, the group split up; Offset (Kiari Kendrell Cephus) left due to an issue that his cousin Quavo (Quavious Keyate Marshall) said was centered around “loyalty.” In response, Quavo and Takeoff (Kirshnik Khari Ball) rebranded as Unc and Phew (short for uncle and nephew, their familial relationship) and released an album, “Only Built for Infinity Links,” in October. The LP built on the pair’s natural chemistry, with Takeoff’s raspy bellow cutting like an X-acto knife through Quavo’s smooth melodies.

This new beginning, though, was short-lived. Early Tuesday morning, Takeoff was fatally shot outside a Houston bowling alley. He was 28.

Two other people were injured and taken to hospitals in private vehicles, police said Tuesday. No arrests have been announced.

Migos was one of hip-hop’s most dominant groups, in an era when solo acts proliferated. Takeoff’s value to the group is best displayed on a song like 2014’s “Fight Night,” where he starts the song with an intimidating call-and-response chant before barreling through on his verse.

Sadly, Takeoff’s most viral moment was not because of his presence but his absence on “Bad and Boujee.” Instead of Takeoff, the song featured Lil Uzi Vert alongside Quavo and Offset, subjecting Takeoff to internet memes amid an awkwardly confrontational interview at the 2017 BET Awards.

But elsewhere on Migos’ landmark album “Culture,” Takeoff’s impact is undeniable — whether it’s the stutter-stop flow he uses on “T-Shirt” or his stomping chorus over the church organs of “Call Casting.” The group earned a Grammy nomination for the album, which went No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The next year, he seized the spotlight on his first and only solo album, “The Last Rocket.” The atmospheric project allowed him greater autonomy over his sound, the delicate bells of “Casper” were a fitting sound for a trip through space. A year after he was left out, he became the main event, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 while breaking two songs into the Hot 100.

Takeoff was born June 18, 1994, in Lawrenceville, Ga. By 2008, he was rapping alongside his uncle and cousin, and the trio dropped their first mixtape as Migos in 2011, titled “Juug Season.”

Their run helped propel Atlanta to the forefront of mainstream hip-hop, perfectly timed alongside the emergence of new stars like Future, Young Thug and 2 Chainz. Migos’ initial breakthrough arrived on 2013’s “Versace,” where the group built an ode to the Italian luxury brand based on the soon-to-be-ubiquitous triplet flow.

Migos weren’t the first to use the triplet flow — it had been used by ’90s-era predecessors such as Public Enemy and many others in between. But when Drake adopted the flow to remix Migos’ “Versace” in 2015 it took on a new life, becoming a staple in modern rap that’s endured through the decade.

Internally, Takeoff’s skills received their due — Quavo said in a 2018 interview with Apple Music that Takeoff was “the best one out of all of us,” a statement met with humility from Takeoff, who quietly asked Quavo to dial it back. But Takeoff was aware his public persona wasn’t quite at the level of his group members (Offset is married to pop-rap star Cardi B).

Speaking with Nore on the “Drink Champs” podcast a few weeks after his album with Quavo was released, Takeoff admitted he was compelled to bring a different energy to the project and take advantage of his expanded role alongside his uncle.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “I’m laid-back and I’m chill, but it’s time to pop it. It’s time to give me my flowers. I don’t want them to lay down when I ain’t here, I want them right now.”