On November 11, 10 days after his murder, Kirsnick Khari Ball — better known as Takeoff, a co-founder of the rap trio Migos — was commemorated in a “celebration of life” at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The event was attended by friends, fans, family members and colleagues from the music industry. Fellow artists Drake and Justin Bieber were part of the service, while Migos members Quavious “Quavo” Marshall and Kiari “Offset” Cephus gave emotional speeches to a sold-out crowd of 21,000.
Outside the arena, a large sign with a photo of the rapper wearing his signature sunglasses flashed the message “Celebrating the life of Takeoff” in his name. The service was led by Senior Pastor Jesse Curney III (who also gave the eulogy) of New Mercies Christian Church, with Bieber, Chloe Bailey, Yolanda Adams, Byron Cage and the New Mercies Choir performing as part of the memorial service. Fan visitors could secure a maximum of two free tickets via Ticketmaster.
Mourners at Takeoff’s Celebration of Life were required to lock their phones in Yondr bags before entering due to a strict no-photos or video policy and members of the media were not allowed to attend. Takeoff’s family asked that instead of bringing flowers or gifts to the celebration, they would make donations to the Rocket Foundation, which was set up to support gun violence prevention programs.
Born in Lawrenceville, GA, Takeoff was shot and killed on November 1 at the age of 28 in Houston at 810 Billiards & Bowling. The shooting followed an argument involving Migos’ Quavo, Takeoff’s uncle (Migos’ third member, Offset, is a cousin of Takeoff and attended the Atlanta memorial with his wife, Cardi B). Although Atlanta police have identified several people of interest, no arrests have been made in connection with Takeoff’s murder.
On Thursday, the New York Post printed secret photos showing how Cardi B, Offset and Quavo were first seen after Takeoff’s death as they got into an SUV that was headed to a family home. Previously, Migos was in a period of transition with Offset pursuing solo projects, while Takeoff and Quavo released their collaborative album Only Built for Infinity Links this October. Prior to the “celebration,” Quavo hadn’t made an official statement about his nephew’s death, but Offset posted a tribute on Instagram by changing his profile picture to one of Takeoff.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this morning that many of the service’s fan attendees descended on the rainy Friday before the doors opened at State Farm Arena at 11 a.m. and offered words of shock, sadness and familiarity at the late rapper. Other fans were snapped showing off bags of Migos’ Rap Snacks Wavy “Bar-B-Quin’ with My Honey” chips.
In the early afternoon, revelers like culture reporter NuFace snapped photos of the cover of the show “Celebration” found on Vibe Magazine, while DJ Akademiks and rapper Da Brat posted respectful videos from outside of State Farm Arena on their respective Instagram profiles. In addition to Mayor Andre Dickens, who presented Takeoff with the Phoenix Award, the city’s highest honor, other notable guests included Cardi B (Offset’s wife) and fellow artists such as Gucci Mane, Rich the Kid, members of City Girls, Cee- Lo Green, YG, Murda Beatz, Mustard, Lil Yachty, Teyana Taylor and hip hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons.
The two remaining Migos rappers, Offset and Quavo, reportedly made the crowd cry while discussing Takeoff as a family, with Quavo reminiscing about their youth where they got into trouble listening to the Hot Boyz and at talent shows occurred. NuFace was also quoted on Twitter as saying that Offset could barely speak during his time on stage and said little about “I love you bro, I’m sorry” to his fallen nephew. Takeoff’s official obituary reads as follows:
Kirsnik Khari Ball June 18, 1994 – November 1, 2022
Kirsnick “Takeoff” Khari Ball, 28, of Atlanta left us on November 1, 2022 after an unfortunate incident brought him decades ahead of his time. Kirsnick (or Takeoff, as he was known to fans, friends and family alike) was an extremely gentle soul, with a peace about him and a wise demeanor well beyond his years. Adorable and impressive both on stage and in personal life, Takeoff commanded respect wherever his path took him, from musicians, family, industry and colleagues alike.
What mattered most to Takeoff was his family, and he was known for bringing genuine love into the lives of everyone who knew him. Takeoff (or Kirsnick), the beloved son of Titania “Treet” Davenport and Kenneth Ball, was Edna Marshall’s most loving grandson and Quavious “Quavo” Marshall’s devoted nephew and artistic collaborator. He is survived by siblings Ezekiel Davenport and Heaven Davenport, Aunt Kashara Reed, and numerous cousins.
He was an amazing talent who lived an extraordinary life; From growing up in Gwinnett County making music in his grandmother’s basement, to appearing on arena tours around the world with hundreds of thousands of screaming fans witnessing his lyrical prowess each year. He was a critical darling, often touted by the press as one of the great lyricists and rappers of our time and a fan favorite. His deep bond with his uncle Quavious Marshall, known to the world simply as “Quavo”, took them from childhood family members to profound musical partners in the supergroup Migos alongside childhood friend Kiari “Offset” Cephus. Migos changed music as we know it and changed the style of rap for almost a decade after her first viral hit and her unique use of adlibs and puns.
Takeoff’s contribution to culture through Migos and beyond with his own solo album and recent critically acclaimed album with Quavo is a part of music history with chart toppings, rave reviews, television moments, the #1 Billboard chart and billions of music streams. Takeoff and crew went from viral internet climbers in the basement to chart-topping hits sporting the cover of Rolling Stone and Grammy nominations.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Takeoff attended Berkmar High School in Gwinnett County and had been vocal about training to be a rapper when they all played sports (Quavo and Offset). A cute anecdote from back in school before the rap cheer won the 4th grade spelling test! All he ever wanted to be was a rapper – it was his only goal and he achieved it in monumental ways. He has always loved music, rapping, everything related to space and watching movies and TV series. On a human level, it was easy: when Takeoff smiled, you just thought everything was going to be okay. He was a deep thinker and it showed in conversations and veiled in rap lyrics. Takeoff’s greatest passion in life was music, and all he ever wanted to do was make a mark and leave a legacy that would last for decades, he once told Complex Magazine during a cover story interview.
His mother Treet played him all the hip hop she loved and as soon as he could crawl he would go to the speakers and pull himself up to dance and move to the bass. From a young age he wanted to be a rapper, with his favorites being Lil Wayne and the entire Cash Money crew. His curiosity and love for rappers was immense and he kept up to date with every artist going from underground to big stars, always poking around Youtube to see everyone’s videos. If you were an artist who put out a video, Takeoff saw it! He was a true and deep fan of hip hop and remained a student of it until his last day, even though he was considered a master himself by so many.
Notable moments in his short but hugely groundbreaking career: over 17 billion streams, two albums that debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart and stayed in the top 10 for 21 weeks, global hit “Bad and Boujee” at #1, breaking records worldwide, a global arena tour alongside Drake, two appearances on the legendary Saturday Night Live aka SNL, a hilarious carpool karaoke starring James Corden that has been viewed over 61 million times and has graced the cover of Rolling Stone to lead festivals worldwide. The influence of his group Migos remains profound. In the final months of his life, Takeoff turned to writing and recording with Quavo to create their collaborative album Only Built For Infinity Links, which received critical acclaim and began with an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . The campaign had only just begun and plans to tour and distribute the music worldwide were in play.
No words or feelings are conveyed that could aptly describe the love that so many had for him and the impact he had on this world. Takeoff wants the world to see the light in what he has created and continue to lift each other up and support the creations that people have brought to the world. He’s up there now with the stars he loved so much and remains in all of our ethers on a daily basis, living on through his music and the love he brought to so many.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Rocket Foundation: https://www.rocket-foundation.org/
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