Inside the Rumored Drama That Plagued Migos Before Takeoff’s Death
Rapper Takeoff, part of the trio known as “Migos” with Offset and Quavo, died on Nov. 1. For years, rumors have plagued the group, who are all related. The three rappers have spoken about the drama that caused them to unofficially split. Here’s what we know about Takeoff’s death and why the group separated.
Migos member Takeoff died at age 28
On Nov. 1, Takeoff, one-third of the hip-hop group known as Migos, was shot and killed in Houston, Texas. He was 28 years old.
Variety reported that “the rapper was shot and killed at a bowling alley in downtown Houston where he and Quavo, his uncle and Migos bandmate, were playing dice at around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday.”
A crowd of about 40 or 50 people was at the scene of the shooting. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, while Quavo was unharmed. Two others were shot and taken to a hospital.
Takeoff, whose real name is Kirsnik Khari Ball, began rapping with Quavo and Offset in 2008. They originally called themselves Polo Club before changing their name to Migos and releasing their first mixtape, “Juug Season,” in 2011. Quavo is Takeoff’s uncle, and Offset is Quavo’s cousin.
While the group never officially announced a split, Offset has been working solo, and Takeoff and Quavo have been working together as a duo in recent years. Takeoff also released a solo album in 2018, The Last Rocket, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Drama plagued Migos before Takeoff’s death
Before Takeoff’s death, rumors of a split plagued Migos. In May 2022, Offset and his wife, Cardi B, unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff on Instagram.
On the Big Facts podcast, Quavo said that he and Takeoff saw themselves as more of a “duo,” seemingly confirming that Migos had broken up. “I just feel like we want to see our career as a duo, you know what I’m saying, because, you know, we just came from a loyal family. We are supposed to stick together,” Quavos said (per Newsweek).
Takeoff added, “We don’t know all answers. God knows. So we pray a lot. And we tell him, whatever – whatever ain’t right, however you supposed to see it fit, you put it back together or however you do it. Only time will tell. We always family now, ain’t nothing gonna change.”
“We just stand on loyalty. We stand on real-deal loyalty,” Quavo said. “This ain’t got nothing to do with no label, no paperwork, no QC, no nothing. This has something to do with the three brothers. It is what it is. Right now, we gon’ be the duo ‘til time tell.”
Quavo and his nephew shaded Offset’s wife, Cardi B
Takeoff and Quavo once threw shade at Offset and his wife, Cardi B, on the Drink Champs podcast (per Yahoo). Host N.O.R.E. asked the duo, who were promoting their album Only Built For Infinity Links, “Nicki or Cardi?” Cardi B and Nicki Minaj famously feuded for years, and many have compared the two rappers.
Quavo answered first by saying, “I’m going to say…I’m going to say, Nicki.” Takeoff quickly added, “Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. That’s crazy.”
There had been rumors of tension within Migos, so choosing Minaj over their relative Offset’s wife seemed like a pointed move.
