Just In: Migos Rapper, Takeoff Shot Dead In Huston

Migos rapper Takeoff has died at the age of 28 after being shot in Houston in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The musician, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was said to have been playing a dice game with his bandmate Quavo when a fight broke out at bowling alley 810 Billiards & Bowling at 2.30am.

A shooter opened fire, killing Takeoff and injuring two others who were taken to hospital.

Law enforcement rushed to the scene, where Takeoff was pronounced dead.

Takeoff was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 1994. He began rapping with Quavo and Offset, his uncle and cousin, respectively, in 2008 under the collective name Polo Club. In 2011, the trio released Juug Season, their debut mixtape as Migos.

In 2013, Migos released Versace, their first mainstream hit. The song was notable for popularising the triplet flow – Migos’ signature rapid-fire cadence – within modern rap, and was eventually remixed by Toronto rapper Drake, who would go on to have a long-running association with all three members of the group.

Migos are best known for their 2016 Lil Uzi Vert collaboration Bad and Boujee, which peaked at No 1 in the US, as well as Top 10 hits MotorSport, with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, and Walk It Talk It, with Drake. As a solo artist, Takeoff released one album – 2018’s The Last Rocket, which debuted at No 4 in the US – and one record as a duo, last month’s Only Built for Infinity Links, with Quavo.