Kirshnik Khari Ball more commonly known as Takeoff born June 18, 1994 in Lawrenceville Georgia, unfortunately passed away November 1^st 2022 in Houston, Texas. Takeoff rapped as part of the successful rap group Migos. Migos also included Quavious Keyate Marshall (Quavo) uncle to Takeoff and Kiari Kendrell Cephus (Offset) first cousin to Takeoff.

Contrary to popular belief, I feel Takeoff prevailed as the greatest member of the Migos. Many believed that title belonged to Quavo as a result of all the features on which he appeared. Quavo and fellow rap artist, Travis Scott have an album together titled “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho”. Others believe Offset achieved the greatest excellence of the Migos due to his unique flow and rhythm. Offset released an album with 21 Savage and Metro Boomin titled “Without Warning”. I believe Takeoff had all the talent of the two combined and showcased that in his latest and final collaboration album with Quavo titled “Only Built For Infinity Links”.

Takeoff had only one solo album titled “The Last Rocket” with one of my favorite songs ever created “Lead the Wave”. Takeoff released an album last of three members outside of the Migos affiliation. Topics in his songs could be interpreted similar to his counterparts but Takeoff had a way with wordplay unmatched by many rappers in the rap game today. He catalyzed the music concept now known as the triplet flow. In the triplet flow, artists rhyme three syllables over one beat whilst having between nine and twelve syllables in a single line. A fair number of songwriters recognize the difficulty of this skill.

Takeoff will be remembered for his songs, freestyles, short lived trends and the time he and fellow Migos rappers appeared on the Breakfast Club. On the podcast he famously uttered the word “cap” in response to a question about Nicki Minaj not understanding one of his bars in the song “Motorsport”. I recommend anyone take 15 seconds of their day to watch that clip on any social media platform.

Fans debated who rapped the best of the three, before Offset had spilt from the Migos earlier in 2022 due to a disagreement. Anyone’s take has viability. Since the release of “Only Built For Infinity Links” Takeoff put any doubt in anyone’s mind about his ability to not only perform on the hook but be the main focal point on song to rest. He showcased flow and lyricism in songs such as “Nothing Changed, Messy, Not Out, Hotel Lobby and To the Bone”

Many see Takeoff as another artist gone too soon. To me Takeoff’s music lives on forever. Like the last rocket, Takeoff’s career had finally taken off. May his soul rest in peace.