Kirshnik Khari Ball, the rapper known as “Takeoff” was shot dead and killed outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas.
Takeoff was a member of the rap group “Migos”, one of the most influential rap groups in the last decade. Alongside Quavo, and Offset, Migos helped reshape Atlanta’s rap landscape.
The trio was nominated for multiple awards, including a Grammy nomination for best rap album for their 2017 album, Culture.
Throughout his career, Takeoff was instrumental in contributing to the recognition of “trap music”, a hip-hop genre that emerged in the 1980s in the southern United States. The trio “influenced pop culture and the entire English language by bringing their North Atlanta roots to the mainstream,” according to Billboard.
Takeoff’s murder happened after a private party concluded at 810 Billiards & Bowling when a big gathering of roughly 40 individuals assembled near the front door on the third level.
According to the police, a dispute erupted, and shots were fired from at least two firearms, causing many people to escape.
Reports are saying that Takeoff was not involved in the clutter that happened in the bowling alley, but instead was the victim of a stray bullet that hit him during the scuffle.
Migos’ record label paid tribute by stating that “senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world, and we are devastated.”
The Texas Police Department is currently studying the incident. Police chief Troy Finner said in a statement that the department has “no reason to believe that he was involved in anything criminal at the time.” However, investigations have not been concluded as of yet.
Takeoff And Crypto
The deceased rapper was an avid supporter of cryptocurrencies and Web3 technology.
In a collaboration with Rich The Kid, Takeoff just recently released a song by the name of “Crypto”, inspired by Takeoff’s involvement with cryptocurrency assets.
In fact, the rapper was involved in the creation of an NFT platform, named “Apes in Space”.
Launched on December 6th, 2021, Apes in Space released several NFT collections, most inspired in the “ape-themed” NFTs.
Takeoff developed a brand around his developing collection, ostensibly promoting the project IRL by wearing unreleased Apes In Space clothing, by combining two themes that are all too common in the NFT community: apes and space.
