Background and career
Kirsnick Khari Ball (June 18, 1994 – November 1, 2022), known professionally as Takeoff, was an American rapper. He was best known as the youngest member of the hip hop group Migos along with his uncle Quavo and close friend Offset. The group scored multiple top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including "MotorSport" (featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B), "Stir Fry", "Walk It Talk It" (featuring Drake), and "Bad and Boujee" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert), the last of which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although he was notably omitted from the song. He also received two Grammy Award nominations as a member of the group. On November 1, 2022, Takeoff was fatally shot in Houston, Texas.
Kirsnick Khari Ball was born on June 18, 1994, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. He grew up in Lawrenceville, and was raised by his mother, Titania Davenport, along with his uncle and future rapmate Quavo. He started making beats and developing rhythms in the seventh grade, and started recording music professionally in 2012, when he released the mixtape Juug Season with Quavo and Offset in August of that year as part of the hip hop trio Migos.
2008–2018: Early work with Migos Ball began rapping with his uncle Quavo. The pair met Offset in grade school and became a trio. Ball adopted the stage name Takeoff because he was known for recording verses in a single take. The group initially performed under the stage name Polo Club, but eventually changed their name to Migos. The group released their first full-length project, a mixtape titled Juug Season, on August 25, 2011. They followed with the mixtape No Label, on June 1, 2012. Migos initially rose to prominence after the release of their single "Versace", in 2013. The song was remixed by Canadian rapper Drake and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Their debut studio album, Yung Rich Nation, was released on July 31, 2015, and featured guest appearances from Chris Brown and Young Thug, and production from Zaytoven and Murda Beatz. The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200.
Migos achieved their first number one single in 2016 with "Bad and Boujee" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert), peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of January 21, 2017. The song has gone on to be certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). While he can be seen in one of the background scenes in the music video, Takeoff is not featured nor credited on the song. Takeoff claimed that he was not featured on the song because he was busy at the time of recording. His absence from the song resulted in many memes.
How Takeoff makes money
They followed with the mixtape No Label, on June 1, 2012.
