Remembering Takeoff, 'a true student of Hip Hop': Closer look at Migos rapper's name, projects

The music world woke up to the news Tuesday that Takeoff, the youngest member of Migos, died at 28 in a fatal shooting.

Born Kirshnik Khari Ball, Takeoff was the more reserved member of the Grammy-nominated and Billboard-charting group. Though not gathering as many headlines as Migos' members Quavo and Offset, Takeoff's rap delivery was "crazy" upon first listen, Quality Control Music label CEO Pierre Thomas, an early signer of the group told Tidal's Rap Radar in 2017.

Houston Police chief Troy Finner confirmed the rapper's death in a press briefing saying Takeoff was shot after a private party at a bowling alley. Two others were struck and taken to the hospital and are not facing life-threatening injuries.

Since the release of Migos' first mixtape "Juug Season" in 2011, two years before their first commercial hit "Versace," the group has become a pillar of hip hop. Here's what to know about Takeoff and his legacy with Migos.

How did Migos begin? Are they related?

The Migos members grew up together. Quavo is Takeoff's uncle, with just a few years age difference the two have called each other Unc and Phew on singles like "Hotel Lobby." Offset and Quavo have been close friends since middle school and is often considered a cousin.

Quavo and Takeoff dipped their toes in rap before Offset joined in on the music. In an interview with XXL magazine, Quavo recalled his humble beginning saying "everybody laughed" at him when he'd make music in middle school but Offset often shielded him from ridicule.

When the rappers were in high school they called themselves the Polo Club, and later adopted the Migos moniker. Popularity struck when Drake hopped on a remix of their 2013 song "Versace" from their "Y.R.N" mixtape.

Several projects, accented by their famous adlibs and signature triplet-style cadence, followed, including mixtapes "No Label," "No Label II," "YRN 2." Their debut studio album "Culture" was released in 2017. "Culture II" in 2018 and "Culture III" in 2021 were the group's subsequent albums.

"We're not letting up, because it's our time. We're going to take advantage of it," Offset told USA TODAY in 2017, a month after the first album's release. "You don't see a lot of people having longevity, because they're coming in fast. My grandma used to tell me, 'You don't want to hit fast, because you might leave as fast as you came in.'"

How did Takeoff get his name?

Takeoff's talent led to his name.

"The reason why his name is Takeoff is because he'll do everything in one take," Quavo said during a 2021 interview with Complex's "Hot Ones" noting that in their early recording sessions everything had to be done in one pass. "He'll do his whole verse and not mess up."

In May after Quavo and Takeoff released the "Hotel Lobby" single from their joint album "Only Built for Infinity Links," Thomas tweeted that Takeoff's talent is "underrated."

"If he cared more about this rap game he would definitely be stepping on y’all," Thomas tweeted. "Been like that since he first met him. Nothing has changed with him."

During a "Drink Champs" interview on Oct. 22, N.O.R.E complimented Takeoff's performance on the "Infinity Links" album.

"I'm chill, I'm laid back. But it's time to pop it." Takeoff said in response to N.O.R.E's praise. "It's time to give me my flowers. I don't want them when I'm not here."

N.O.R.E reposted the segment on Twitter after Takeoff's death and called him "a true student of Hip Hop."

What are Takeoff's most recent projects?

One day before his death, Takeoff and Quavo released a Halloween-themed video for their song "Messy," the twelfth track on their duo album.

"Only Built for Infinity Links," a name Takeoff came up with inspired by Wu-Tang member Raekwon's 1995 solo album "Only Built for Cuban Linx,"  was released Oct. 7 amid rumors that the Migos trio had broken up since Offset was not included on the project. The group hasn't made any official announcement of their disbandment.

In 2018 Takeoff released his debut solo album "The Last Rocket," a month after Quavo released a solo album. In 2019 Offset released his solo album "Father of 4."

Quavo acknowledged the group's potential for separate solo ventures to USA TODAY in 2017.

"I focus on the Migos part, and then whenever (other artists) need me, I just go out and do my thing," Quavo said. "We all know what we doing, everybody (filling each other in) on what we gotta do. There’s no hard feelings. Everybody just go out and bring the trophy home."

Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Takeoff dies at 28: Info on rapper's name, projects, relation to Migos