US rapper Takeoff, member of Migos, shot dead at 28 in Houston

Takeoff, of Migos, is dead after a shooting outside of a Houston bowling alley early Tuesday, Nov 1, 2022. Photo: AP

Migos rapper Takeoff is dead after a shooting early Tuesday (Nov 1) outside a bowling alley in Houston, a representative confirmed.

He was 28.

Takeoff – whose name was Kirsnick Khari Ball – was part of Migos along with Quavo and Offset.

A representative for Migos, who was not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed to The Associated Press that Takeoff had died.

Police responded shortly after 2.30am to reports of a shooting at 810 Billiards & Bowling, where dozens of people had gathered on a balcony outside of the bowling alley, which is on the third floor, police said.

Officers discovered one man dead when they arrived.

Security guards who were in the area heard the shooting but did not see who did it, a police spokesperson said.

Two other people were injured and taken to hospitals in private vehicles. No arrests have been announced.

The Grammy-nominated rap trio from Georgia have had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including their multi-week No. 1 Bad And Boujee featuring Lil Uzi Vert.

They put out a trilogy of albums called Culture, Culture II and Culture III, with the first two albums hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

They earned an ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2018, for their streaming success with multiplatinum songs like Motorsport (featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj), Stir Fry, and Walk It Talk It.

They also played a fictional version of themselves on an episode of the hit TV show Atlanta.

Offset, who is married to Cardi B, released a solo album in 2019, while Takeoff and Quavo released a joint album Only Built for Infinity Links last month. – AP