Migos rapper Takeoff tragically dies aged 28

Talented rapper Takeoff, from Migos, was shot dead in Houston early this morning (1 November), a representative has confirmed.

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was fatally shot at 810 Billiards & Bowling around 2:30 am, the rep confirmed to the Associated Press.

He was with fellow Migos member Quavo, who was unharmed from the incident.

Houston Police confirmed the shooting on social media, and it was reported that two other individuals had been taken to the hospital in private vehicles following the incident.

@yrntakeoff/Instagram

Tributes soon poured in for the 'Bad and Boujee' singer, with fellow rapper Adin Ross saying he'd just spoken to his friend: "Rest in peace to takeoff I just spoke to him too … I’m in shock right now, I can’t believe it. I pray to god it’s fake. This shit just isn’t fair bro wtf."

While journalist Jemele Hill said: "I was in college when Biggie and ‘Pac were killed and thought there was no way we’d ever experience anything remotely close to that again.

"Now it’s happening so frequently that you barely have time to recover before someone else killed. RIP Takeoff."

Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

Another outraged fan said: "I did not just wake up to seeing someone killed TAKEOFF... He literally minded his fuckin business bro was quiet & kept to his self and lost his life at 28 over a fuckin dice game? this senseless ass killing shit gotta stop. this shit actually hurt the Migos have so many classics."

Others were understandably angry at the number of senseless shootings that take place in the US every day: "Really disturbing to see people ask why Takeoff is shooting dice when the broader issue is easy access to guns, ego, and people who don’t respect the weight of what it means to shoot which is reinforced by this culture because guns = masculinity."

The 28-year-old rapper will be deeply missed and remembered for his talent/contributions to the music scene.

@yrntakeoff/Instagram

He began his career in 2008 rapping alongside his uncle Quavo (Quavious Keyate Marshall) and cousin Offset (Kiari Kendrell Cephus), forming a group they named Polo Club.

The family trio would later change this name to Migos, which they have stuck with throughout the rest of their music careers.

They put themselves on the music map with the release of the song 'Versace' in 2013, a track that ended up being remixed by Drake.

Drake would go on to feature in their 2018 track 'Walk It Talk It', while 'MotorSport' featured appearances from Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, who married Offset in 2017.

From there he went on to release hit albums Culture, Culture II, and Culture III with Migos to incredible success.