Migos rapper Takeoff shot dead in Houston, aged 28

Takeoff, real name Kirshnik Khari Ball, was playing dice at a bowling alley in Houston when shots were fired.

American rapper Takeoff has died, having been reportedly shot during a game of dice. The performer, real name Kirshnik Khari Ball, was best known as a member of hip-hop trio Migos, along with his uncle Quavo and first cousin, Offset. TMZ confirmed the news that the rapper was killed following an early-morning shooting in Houston. Law enforcement sources and multiple witnesses told the publisher that the incident occurred shortly after 2:30am at a bowling alley called 810 Billiards & Bowling Houston. TMZ said Takeoff and Quavo were playing dice when an altercation broke out and shots were fired. Takeoff was reportedly shot in the head, or near his head and was pronounced dead on the scene. Footage of the incident shows Quavo and others gathered around Takeoff after he was hit. At first they tried to move him, but then put him back down, as Quavo yells for someone to get help. TMZ said at least two other people were shot and have been taken to hospital. Just a couple of hours before the shooting, Takeoff posted a selfie from the bowling alley. Earlier in the night, Quavo had posted video of him driving around Houston with Jas Prince, who was celebrating his birthday. 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 21 January 2017 but initially rose to prominence after the release of their single 'Versace', in 2013. https://twitter.com/theonlyjasonlee/status/1587381508653711361?s=46&t=99pxdj1MbiGzCPuXgVn6Fg https://twitter.com/raphousetv2/status/1587379826645643265 https://twitter.com/GwamakaRenald/status/1587396106937417728 https://twitter.com/Timack27/status/1587388962498351106 Along with Quavo and Offset, Takeoff began rapping in 2008 with the group initially performing under the stage name Polo Club before changing it to Migos. The group released their first full-length project, a mixtape titled Juug Season, in August 2011 followed by a mixtape, No Label, in June the following year. Migos initially rose to prominence after the release of their single 'Versace', in 2013. The song was later remixed by 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 featured guest appearances from Chris Brown and Young Thug and was released in July 2015. The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200. Migos' first number one single came 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 went 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 himself has claimed that he was not featured on the song because he was busy at the time of recording. The group's second album Culture II was released in January 2018. It became Migos' second album to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200, moving 199,000 equivalent units, including 38,000 copies sold, in its first week of release. On Monday, Takeoff and Quavo released their new music video for 'Messy' which saw the pair take a horror-themed trip. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkY52QxPY8y/