Takeoff
Born: June 18, 1994
Place of Birth: Lawrenceville, GA
Died: November 1, 2022
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Kirshnick Khari Ball aka Takeoff, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of the hip hop trio Migos along with uncles Quavo and Offset.
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Along with fellow family members Quavo and Offset, Takeoff began rapping in 2008. The group initially performed under the stage name Polo Club, but eventually changed their name to Migos. The group released their first full length project, a mixtape titled Juug Season, on August 25, 2011. They followed with the mixtape No Label, on June 1, 2012.
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Migos initially rose to prominence after the release of their single "Versace", in 2013. The song was remixed by Canadian rapper Drake and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
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Their debut studio album, Yung Rich Nation, was released in July 2015, and featured guest appearances from Chris Brown and Young Thug, and production from Zaytoven and Murda Beatz. The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200.
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Migos achieved their first number one single in 2016 with "Bad and Boujee" featuring Lil Uzi Vert, peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of January 21, 2017. The song has gone on to be certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). While he can be seen in one of the background scenes in the music video, Takeoff is not featured nor credited on the song. Takeoff himself has claimed that he was not featured on the song because he was busy at the time of recording. On June 24, 2017, during filming of Complex's Everyday Struggle at the BET Awards 2017, he was questioned about his absence by hosts Joe Budden and DJ Akademiks, to which he replied, "Do it look like I'm left off "Bad and Boujee"?". Takeoff's response caused Budden to leave the set, and an altercation between Migos and Budden and their entourages almost took place before it was broken up by security.
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Migos' second studio album, Culture, was released on January 27, 2017, debuting at number 1 on the US Billboard 200, moving 131,000 album-equivalent units, including 44,000 copies sold, during its first week of release. The album went on to achieve platinum certification in the country in July 2017.
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The group's second album, Culture II, was released on January 26, 2018. It became Migos' second album to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200, moving 199,000 equivalent units, including 38,000 copies sold, in its first week of release.
On November 1, 2022, following a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in the Green Street commercial development part of Houston, Texas, Ball was shot multiple times in the head and torso. Approximately 40 people had gathered outside the bowling alley after the party ended around 1:00 a.m. CDT, according to Houston's KHOU-11 TV.
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Quavo had posted a video earlier in the night in which he had been driving around Houston with Jas Prince Jr. (the second son of James Prince), who was celebrating his father's birthday. Houston Police Sergeant Michael Arrington stated that an altercation broke out as a large group gathered outside the venue's third-floor entrance, and at least two guns were fired. In a statement, Takeoff's record label said that he was killed by a "stray bullet", and Houston police chief Troy Finner said that he did not believe Takeoff to be the intended target.
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The Houston Police Department reported that a fatal shooting had taken place at 2:50 a.m. CDT and that the victim was found dead on arrival while two other victims were "taken in private vehicles to hospitals". The department later added: "We are not releasing an identity of the deceased victim until his family is notified & ID verified by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences." Houston police later confirmed that Takeoff had been killed in the shooting.