He was “the quiet” member of the Atlanta rap group, but his demeanor belied a commanding presence
EVERY RAP GROUP is subject to debates about the best member. But it’s not often that an artist takes a stance like Quavo, who repeatedly stated that he felt fellow Migos member Takeoff was the best in the trio. “He always been workin’ on his craft…he just masterminded his craft,” the rapper told Power 106 in 2018. Takeoff, born Kirshnik Ball, was fatally shot in Houston on Tuesday morning, ending the chapter of an Atlanta rap group that helped define 2010s rap music. While Takeoff, who was 28, didn’t have the high-profile relationship that Offset has with Cardi B and wasn’t the outgoing public figure Quavo is, the consistency of his body of work demonstrated that he was the stabilizing presence of the multi-platinum Migos.Fans could always rely on Takeoff to deliver a strong verse that demonstrated a masterful mesh of flow, cadence, and lyrical precision. Consider his impressive verse on “Commando.” Takeoff didn’t just find one pocket and rely on the same flow throughout the track; he varied his arsenal. He knew when to punctuate bars by exclaiming, “We the ones that came in with the kicking doors.” He knew when to carry his flow into the next bar and when to syncopate to leave space for adlibs. “Commando” is from Migos’ YRN 2