Quavo paid a moving tribute to his close friend, nephew, and fellow rapper Migos Takeoff, who was shot and killed November 1 in Houston. In a statement posted to Instagram, Quavo recalled childhood memories with Takeoff, such as their shared love of professional wrestling and their early adventures in music.
“All this time he had a real passion for music. His dream was to become a rapper because I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Quavo wrote. “Then he created his trio flow and the rest was historical. He never worried about titles or credit or which man got the shine, that wasn’t him. He didn’t care about any of that as long as we brought him home to the family! Find Quavo’s full statement below.
In the eulogy, Quavo discusses how the terms “uncle” and “nephew” were never quite satisfied with the ties he had to Takeoff. (The two men grew up with Migos MC Offset in suburban Lawrenceville, Georgia.) He wrote, “I knew that you are not my brother because you are my sister’s son, so I cannot say my brother.” “Now I finally got it…You are our angel watching over me and us the whole time in living form making sure everyone feels the love and hugs while you are here and you make our dreams come true.”
Before his death, Takeoff and Quavo were playing dice at a bowling alley in Houston when a fight broke out and a man opened fire, TMZ and local media reported at the time. The rapper’s death has been officially ruled a homicide. He was 28 years old.
After the news of his death, Takeoff was memorialized by friends and collaborators including Drake, Gucci Mane, and future, and others. On Friday (November 11), a memorial service for Takeoff was held at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. Last month, Quavo and Takeoff released their debut album as a duo, Built only for Infinity Links.
Read Pitchfork’s Afterword feature “Remember to boot, Migos low-key linchpin.”
