Takeoff shooting: Migos rapper killed by ‘stray bullet’, says record label
Migos rapper Takeoff was killed by a stray bullet, his record label has said, releasing a statement condemning “senseless violence”.
The 28-year-old hip-hop star was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas, in the early hours on Tuesday.
Takeoff, real name Kirsnick Khari Ball, was best known as a member of Atlanta rap trio Migos along with Quavo and Offset.
Takeoff was a member of rap trio Migos alongside his cousin Offset and uncle Quavo
Representatives for record label Quality Control Music shared a tribute on social media saying they had been left devastated by his death.
“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 have called on witnesses to come forward with information. No arrests had been made so far.
Police said they were called to the scene at about 2.34am local time (7.34am in the UK), with reports of a shooting outside Billiards and Bowling Alley in Houston. A private party of about 40 people, including Takeoff, had been taking place there, they said.
‘Sometimes the hip-hop community gets a bad name’
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.
In a press conference, police chief Troy Finner said he had received many calls praising Takeoff as a “great young man”.
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.”
‘Too many young men of colour being injured or killed’
Mr Finner said he would not speculate on whether Takeoff was the intended target.
“Based on what people say about him, he’s well respected, non-violent,” he said.
“I would not expect him to be involved but I do want to wait on the investigation… 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, great entertainer.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also spoke during the press conference, saying: “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.
“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.”
Music stars including Dave, Sean Paul, AJ Tracey, Kid Cudi, Khalid and Ja Rule are among those who have paid tribute to Takeoff.
Migos comprised of Takeoff and his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset, who is married to rapper Cardi B.
The trio first rose to fame with the viral single Versace in 2013 and went on to have a number of hit tracks including the 2016 Grammy-nominated Bad And Boujee, Motorsport (with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B) and Stir Fry.
The group also played fictional versions of themselves in the American comedy-drama TV series Atlanta, created by and starring Donald Glover.
Entertainment
Creatives having to be even more creative as National Theatre overhauls how it stages productions
The National Theatre is overhauling how it stages productions – as its ambitious climate targets mean creatives are having to be even more creative.
After setting itself the goal of achieving net zero as an organisation by 2030, off-stage quietly radical changes are under way.
Pic: Reed Watts
Sky News was invited to see how the theatre, based in Southbank, central London, has gone about overhauling its approach to staging productions, meeting with some of those who’ve worked on its adaptation of the much-loved children’s classic Ballet Shoes.
While critics have been full of praise for the visual spectacle on-stage, how the whole look was created required a fundamental shift in approach.
“All of the team have had to be on board with reinventing, recutting and reimagining items rather than just making them from scratch,” costume designer Samuel Wyer said.
A new resource they had to work with was the National Theatre Green Store in Bermondsey, southeast London.
The warehouse has more than 131,000 items of costume and almost 22,000 props now housed under one roof so that designers can repurpose items from previous productions to try to cut their carbon footprint.
It’s a surprisingly satisfying challenge.
Mr Wyer said they were able to “dip and cut clothes… which meant I was finding things even outside my imagination that were more perfect than I could have drawn on a piece of paper”.
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Trying to lead by example, the theatre hopes to demonstrate how the industry needn’t take a fast fashion approach to making sets, props and costumes from scratch.
“I think if it’s demonstrated that we can do things in this way that helps all of us imagine a world where we can use what we’ve got rather than new, new, new, because we need that balance,” Mr Wyer said.
“Theatre is where we come to imagine who we could be.”
Pic: Reed Watts
‘Every piece has its own little quirks’
Last year, the National set itself targets of 50% of the materials used in its productions having had a previous life, and 65% being repurposed at the end of each production.
For set designer Frankie Bradshaw, hitting those targets has meant working with a lot more repurposed furniture.
“Lots of second-hand cabinets, bookshelves,” she said. “Ordinarily [carpenters] would have been used to building from scratch following a drawing and this has been quite different.
“Every piece has its own little quirks, and they’ve had to adapt their processes to fit that way of working.”
While it’s by no means straightforward, the process is proving rewarding.
“It requires everyone to be a little bit more flexible, a little more patient, but it does mean you can end up with a product you’re a lot more proud of,” Ms Bradshaw added.
Ballet Shoes runs at the National Theatre until Saturday 22 February.
Neil Young has been confirmed as a headliner at this year’s Glastonbury – despite saying he was dropping out due to the BBC’s involvement in the festival.
The 79-year-old Canadian musician wrote on his website earlier this week that both he and his band, The Chrome Hearts, were pulling out because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.
He has now said in a statement that this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.
Emily Eavis, the organiser of the Glastonbury Festival, posted on Instagram on Friday: “Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury.
“He does things his own way and that’s why we love him.
“We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June.”
Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.
Posting on Neil Young Archives, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer wrote in his initial statement: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs.
“We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.
“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
Young performing at Glastonbury in 2009. Pic: AP
Young, who headlined the festival’s Pyramid stage in 2009, added: “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.
“Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
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In an updated statement, he wrote: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury festival, which I always have loved.
“Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing! Hope to see you there!”
Young, who is married to US actress Daryl Hannah, was booked to play Glastonbury in 1997 but pulled out after cutting his left index finger while making a ham sandwich.
Glastonbury, one of the UK’s largest music festivals, is set to take place between 25 and 29 June, with Sir Rod Stewart booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot.
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