Takeoff’s management mourn ‘monumental loss of beloved brother’

Representatives for Takeoff have mourned the ‘monumental loss’ of their ‘beloved brother’ after the Migos rapper was shot dead at the age of 28.The US hip hop artist, real name Kirsnick Khari Ball, was pronounced dead at the scene outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday.In a statement shared on social media, Migos’ label Quality Control said they were ‘devastated’ by the ‘senseless violence’.’It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirsnick Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff,’ the statement read.’Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated.’Please respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss.’Houston police said no arrests had been made yet in the case, but called on witnesses to come forward with information.Police chief Troy Finner has said he has received many calls praising Takeoff as a ‘great young man’ during a press conference streamed online on Tuesday evening.After detailing the tragic event, Mr Finner said: ‘Sometimes the hip hop community gets a bad name and I know, evident from this city and people who I have a personal relationship with, a lot of great people in our hip hop community and I respect them.’But back to Takeoff. I got many calls from Houston and outside of Houston, and everyone spoke of what a great young man this is, how peaceful he is, what a great artist.’And I’m calling up on everybody, hip hop artists in Houston and around the nation, we (have) got to police ourselves.’It is so many talented individuals, men and women in that community, who again, I love and I respect, and we all need to stand together and make sure nobody tears down that industry.’He added that he does not want to speculate on whether Takeoff was the intended target but noted: ‘Based on what people say about him, he’s well respected, non-violent.’I would not expect him to be involved but I do want to wait on the investigation but we have no reason to believe that he was involved in anything criminal at the time, just as people describe him as very peaceful, loving, (and a) great entertainer.’During the press conference, Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner also offered his condolences to Takeoff’s family and friends and said he plans to continue the conversation about gun violence in the city.’We have too many young men of colour that are being injured or killed and their future is cut off and family members and friends are left to mourn,’ he said.’This does not have to be our reality and it need not be our future. And so as it relates to this particular incident, what I would say to the people in this city and even beyond, we will solve this crime.’Let us bring the person or persons to justice, and we will, and then we will continue to move to make our city a safer city.’Following the news, rap stars including Dave, Kid Cudi, Khalid and Ja Rule paid tribute to Takeoff, who was part of the Atlanta-based group alongside his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.Dave posted a photo of himself with Takeoff to his Instagram story, writing: ‘My brother… days we spent together are priceless’ and sent his prayers to the young rapper’s family.Rapper Ja Rule wrote on Twitter: ‘Rip Takeoff… this shit has to STOP… sending love to friends and family’.Meanwhile Kid Cudi and Khalid both simply said on Twitter: ‘RIP Takeoff’Reality star Khloe Kardashian said: ‘This is so sad. Wow! over what?? May God cover everyone who is in pain. These senseless acts have got to end. So so sad’, in her tribute.Jamaican rapper Sean Paul, who featured vocals from American hip hop group Migos on his track Body, also paid tribute on Instagram with a picture saying ‘rest in peace’.British rapper AJ Tracey added on Twitter: ‘not takeoff! RIP’.Migos first rose to fame in 2013 with the viral single Versace and went on to have a number of hit tracks including Grammy-nominated Bad And Boujee, Motorsport and Stir Fry.The group also played fictional versions of themselves on the American comedy-drama television series, Atlanta, created by and starring Donald Glover.Takeoff and Quavo released a collaboration album, Only Built for Infinity Links, in October.Offset, who is married to Cardi B, released a solo album, Father Of 4, in 2019.Police officers said they were called at approximately 2.34am local time (07:34 GMT) about a shooting outside Billiards and Bowling Alley in Houston where a private party of around 40 including Takeoff had been taking place.Takeoff was found dead at the scene and two other individuals, a 23-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.