Death of rapper Takeoff has record producer asking, ‘How’s this real?’ CBC radio

A Canadian DJ and record producer says he can’t understand why anyone would shoot Takeoff, whom he described as a “legend” in his field and “the chillest guy”.

Takeoff – whose first name was Kirsnick Khari Ball – was shot dead outside a Houston bowling alley on Tuesday.

At 28, he was the youngest member of Migos, a rap trio from suburban Atlanta that also included his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.

Police Chief Troy Finner said the young rapper was hit by a bullet after a row broke out between a group of 40 people leaving a private party. Police believe at least two people fired guns and are looking for information to identify them.

Migos record label, quality control, said in a statement that Takeoff was killed by “a stray bullet”.

Alain Macklovitch, better known by the stage name A-Trak, is a DJ and founder of the record label Fool’s Gold. He has been working with Migos for around eight years. Here’s part of his conversation with How it happens Host Nil Köksal on Takeoff’s hip-hop legacy.

Of course you work with many musicians. What do you notice when you think of Takeoff?

Migos, all three, brought a real spark to the hip-hop scene.

They had a very recognizable flow – like a certain triplet cadence, like a certain meter to their flow – that was really immediately recognizable. But they also kind of came about at a time when there were fewer and fewer groups in hip hop. The bigger artists became solo acts, and then there were these three guys from Atlanta, dressed flashy with really bubbly lyrics and flows.

I remember when I first saw them perform in person I made a joke that they were like Snap, Crackle and Pop. They just seemed animated, you know? And Takeoff was probably the least flashy in terms of looks and personality, but for the minds — for the people who were really fans of rapping — he was possibly the most skilled. He was something of a rapper’s darling.

What distinguished him professionally?

He had a kind of gruff, hard voice. And in a way, Quavo stood out early on, you know, with his melodic hooks. And Offset also had a kind of catchiness in his voice. And in a way, Takeoff stepped back a little but really held back the serious rapping — you know, the denser, more lyrical rapping.

Takeoff, I’ve heard, was described as the quiet one of the group. And you kind of implied that. How was he around?

He was more reserved. And so Quavo came across as the group’s de facto leader, personality-wise. And he and Takeoff, you know, have always been very close, clearly through family ties. So if you did see them, it was usually Quavo or Offset who kind of stood in the front line, came up to you and greeted you, shook your hand, or whatever. But Takeoff was just a step behind.

He also seemed like the one to actually sit with and joke around with a bit. Like, he was very observant. And I think that comes with the personality of people who are a little less flashy but still have the spotlight. You can tell he’s kinda sitting there and observing.

Even as far as the family relationship goes, I recall calling Quavo “Unc”. For example, that was his uncle. Even though I think they were only a few years apart, there was still that dynamic between them.

They were together when he was killed, Quavo and Takeoff… You know, is there any sense of what happened there?

I have no idea. All I know is whatever it was, I just can’t believe there’s another rap star, hip hop star that died so young. He’s 28. It’s like I almost forgot how young he was because I’ve known him for about eight years at this point… He must have been 20 when I met him.

They became stars so quickly. Even when I first met them, they were somehow larger than life. They just assumed they were grown adults, but they were still quite young.

I have a friend [at] Spotify … and He literally tweeted like a list of rappers who have died in the last four years…. It is completely heartbreaking to see. It really makes you wonder what’s going on in the world, you know?

I grew up listening to hip hop in the 90’s when all I lost was Biggie and Tupac… it shook the whole world. But in a way, it’s all we could take. And now when you think about it, you see this list, this enumeration of rappers who’ve died just in the last few years, and it’s just like, how’s that real?

What kind of conversations do you hear, have in the community given all the deaths you’ve spoken about?

It just feels surreal. It feels pointless.

On the one hand, there’s something like: who would kill Takeoff? Like the chilled guy. Not to say that one person deserves to die more than others. I’m not saying that at all. But when you meet this guy you would really think who would ever kill this guy? What goes through someone’s mind?

And it just feels like there used to be a kind of respect for people who are legends in their field. For example, there’s just some understanding that you don’t touch this or that person, even if it’s going into a world of street stuff and whatever happens behind closed doors. Still, there would be some sort of silent contract, almost of you not touching the person who is truly gifted and who can lead their entire community and family to better living conditions.

How did that go? How are some of these artists so accessible? How did a teenager do that Go to Pop Smoke and kill him? All of those things. It should not be. It should not be.

Hip hop is the biggest genre in the world today. You know, for many years. So obviously there are entire generations that grew up listening to these artists and these kids growing up watching their favorite musicians die. And that shouldn’t be the case with this number, at this pace.

With files from The Associated Press. Interview produced by Katie Geleff. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.