Migos’ Takeoff, Shot Dead at 28, Helped Change the Sound of Popular Music
SlateOnce again, a rapper has lost his life, senselessly and all too soon. And, much like how their rap forefathers found ways to repurpose turntables and drum machines to broadcast their songs and stories, Atlanta’s visionary producers—the aforementioned Zaytoven, Metro Boomin, Sonny Digital, Mike Will Made-It, and the 808 Mafia—crafted dense backdrops with digital percussion and software like Fruity Loops. Quavo, a go-to feature for friends like Lil Yachty and DJ Khaled, was the group’s clear solo-ready Justin Timberlake, and Offset’s personal life tended to upstage his own releases. Notably, he didn’t have a verse on “Bad and Boujee,” which became the group’s biggest single in 2017 after a surge of fan-made viral videos lifted it all the way to No. From “Gucci on My”: “Flooded wrist, I got the Breitling loaded/ Now I can’t even see the clock.” Or from “Brown Paper Bag”: “20K right by the stand/ Wrapped up in a brown paper bag/ That wasn’t part of the plan/ Take out the tape from the cam/ No evidence on who I am.” Or from a track on Takeoff’s only solo project, 2018’s The Last Rocket: “I remember flushin’ all the dope down the commode/ Stashin’ work where you would never know/ Canine can’t even find it.” Stardom eluded Takeoff as the trio appeared to drift apart.
History of this topic
Migos’ Quavo and Offset mark the one-year anniversary of Takeoff’s shooting death
LA Times
Takeoff, dead at 28 in shooting, was ‘chill’ Migos member
Associated Press
‘My heart is shattered’: Band mates Offset and Quavo honor Migos rapper Takeoff
LA Times
Takeoff shooting: What we know so far after Migos rapper killed in Houston
The Independent
Takeoff dead: Migos rapper shot dead during party with Quavo, representative confirms
The Independent
Hip-hop community pays tribute to Takeoff: ‘Flow unmatched. Talent undeniable’
LA Times
Migos’ Takeoff had already changed the sound of hip-hop. He was just getting started on a new chapter
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