Black life, Black living and also Black death.

do you think that rap culture and the rap industry has a responsibility to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country?

And what I mean there is that the United States is an incredibly violent country

Violence is just a part of hip-hop culture, especially because it's something that rappers make songs about. What do you say to that assumption, this thinking that all these tragedies are just expected in this kind of music in this industry?

Violence and death seem to hang like a cloud over rap and hip hop, but we wanted to hear from someone who has been following the industry for a long time to try and go beyond the myths and stereotypes that have grown around this topic.

And more recently, the list of rappers who have been killed has only continued to grow.

n media coverage of the industry.

I want us to be careful to not make it seem like it's a quote-unquote, "rap issue" 'cause I really think it's a systemic, cultural issue.

Is violence - particularly gun violence - a problem that's connected to rap? And is hip-hop culture itself to blame for that?

TAKEOFF: And you still remember me and still remember all the work we put in.

SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FIGHT NIGHT"

Fans gathered on Friday

aims to prevent gun violence,

"senseless violence and a stray bullet."

Free tickets to the memorial service

The Grammy Award-nominated trio Migos also included Takeoff's uncle Quavo and cousin Offset. All three were largely raised by Takeoff's mother in an Atlanta suburb.

A sign announces the memorial service for late rapper Takeoff of the rap group Migos at Atlanta's State Farm Arena on Nov. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Sudhin Thanawala))

. She said Takeoff’s death was heartbreaking because he was so young.

memorial service to celebrate the rapper's life and music, and a massive sign outside the arena was lit up with the rapper’s image.

Migos, in a rainy downtown Atlanta near where the 28-year-old grew up. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban1', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban1'); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); }

Just sad another rapper, son, brother, and friend has been killed. God be with all those who feel the loss."

Young men of color are killing themselves," he wrote. "They are pulling their guns and shooting and just like that someone(s) is dead. Who do we blame? Activists, rappers, family members, faith leaders must confront this reality. This cannot be our future when our young are dying young."

"It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother [Kirshnik] Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff," the statement read. "Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated."

"People fled after the shooting and did not stick around to offer statement," he said. "All we can hope is you all will reach out and give us evidence to solve the death of Takeoff."

everyone who was at the bowling alley has a responsibility to come forward. “I don’t give anyone an out,” he said. “If you were there and you saw something and you know something, you don’t get a pass. Everybody has to take responsibility.”

Houston police said on Friday that the shooting occurred after some at the party played a “lucrative” dice game and an argument broke out.

Takeoff was involved in the escalation of the dispute that led to his death. “We have no reason to believe he was involved in anything criminal at the time,” said Finner.

A dispute had taken place outside the bowling alley after a party, and “at least two guns were fired” during the incident, CNN reported at the time.

Offset, the third Migos member, wrote on Instagram that Takeoff’s death “left a hole in my heart that will never be filled.”

targeted and that he had simply been “at the wrong place at the wrong time,” according to NBC.

In August 2020, Takeoff was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual battery and assault. However, in April 2021, the L.A. County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the rapper for the sexual assault allegations due to insufficient evidence. At the time, his lawyer told TMZ that “the allegations were patently and provably false.”

described the slain rapper as “very peaceful, loving and a great entertainer.”

“We have too many young men of color that are being injured or fatally killed, and their future is cut off and family members and friends are left to mourn,” Turner said during the briefing. “This does not have to be our reality and it need not be our future. “

According to the Houston Police Department, officers responded to a shooting at 810 Billiards & Bowling shortly after 2:30 a.m. and one man was found dead on arrival.

Takeoff is the latest member of the hip-hop community to fall victim to gun violence. Rapper PnB Rock was shot in South Los Angeles in September and rising Louisiana artist JayDaYoungan died after a shooting in July. As the press briefing continued, Finner called for action from rap artists.

“I got many calls from Houston and outside of Houston, and every one spoke of what a great young man this is, how peaceful he is, what a great artist “ Finner said.

“The amount of non reported robbery attempts dealing with rappers are ridiculous.. hella rappers don’t even speak on it cuz some feel it’s embarrassing to admit or speak on. Rappers literally being targeted out there and ppl trying em in broad daylight,” podcast host and entertainer DJ Akademiks tweeted.

In 2017, he was nearly killed in a shooting incident in Hollywood. He spent weeks hospitalized after sustaining three gunshot wounds. Dolph told The Guardian in a 2018 interview that he wasn’t “a person that lives in fear.”

describing his teen years as “high-risk, high-reward.”

Nipsey was a member of the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips but spoke out against rappers who would boast of purported gang affiliations to stunt or look cool – not because he wished them any violence, but to remind them that for too many young people, joining a gang was about survival.

The rapper was not without controversy

Takeoff now joins the list of rappers who were victims of gun violence.

Fellow writer Jemele Hill added, “I was in college when Biggie and ‘Pac were killed and thought there was no way we’d ever experience anything remotely close to that again. Now it’s happening so frequently that you barely have time to recover before someone else killed. RIP Takeoff.”

“Too many young men of color are killing each other,” tweeted Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Resolving their disputes by pulling their guns and shooting one another regardless of fame or fortune. Crazy.

but his loss is being felt well beyond the bounds of music as many chimed in to offer condolences and praise, while others questioned what needs to be done to stop the scourge of rappers being killed.

Takeoff’s death is the latest in a trend that stretches back to 2018. Each year since then, gun violence – whether through robbery or disagreement – has killed at least one rapper who was either already famous or on the cusp of crossover fame.

slain

It’s happened again: America wakes up to news that a hip-hop star was fatally and senselessly shot.

Recently, Migos had been coy about its future as a group as Offset battled in court with the trio’s label. But in interviews, Quavo emphasized familial loyalty and said that he and Takeoff would continue as a duo, which they sometimes referred to as Unc’ and ’Phew.

In the summer of 2020, Takeoff was accused of rape in a lawsuit by a woman who said she was assaulted at a house party in Encino, Calif. A lawyer representing the rapper called the claims “patently and provably false” and said Takeoff was known for his “quiet, reserved and peaceful personality.” The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the case because of a lack of evidence, according to Pitchfork.

Working on a song for any longer “kills the vibe,” Takeoff said. “You gotta have fun with a song, make somebody laugh,” he added. “You gotta have character.”

Southern rappers like Gucci Mane, T.I., Lil Wayne and his early group the Hot Boys, which provided a blueprint for Migos’s later success.

Takeoff, whose real name is Kirsnick Khari Ball, was born on June 18, 1994, and grew up in Lawrenceville, Ga. He “always wanted to rap,” he told The Fader, a music magazine, in a 2013 interview, and found his group mates close to home: Takeoff and Quavo, his uncle, were raised by Quavo’s mother, Edna, a hairstylist. She is frequently shouted out in Migos songs as “Mama!”

his often-downcast eyes lighting up. “It’s our time now.”

The group’s subsequent 2017 album, “Culture,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and earned Migos one of its two Grammy nominations.

was founded as a family bedroom act northeast of the city, in an area that Migos came to brand as the “Nawfside.”

“When you’re around Takeoff, there’s a sense of peacefulness about his aura,” Mr. Findling said. “He listens to you, he looks at you, he’s more focused on what you have to say than what he has to say. The world was starting to learn about Takeoff. It was his time to shine.”

Drew Findling, a lawyer for Takeoff and confidant to many rap stars, called his death “a devastating loss, particularly for Atlanta.”

fan favorite

Boujee.”

“When I heard the news it got me to tears,” Tatiana Battle, 23, said. “Migos’s music got me through breakups, graduation, celebrations. And now I can’t listen to them anymore because it will never be the same.”

with some young fans trickling past a few bouquets of roses and lit candles.

we all need to stand together and make sure no one tears down that industry.”

“Sometimes the hip-hop community gets a bad name,” Chief Finner

“We have no reason to believe that he was involved in anything criminal at the time,” Chief Finner said of Takeoff.

An argument ensued and shots were fired from at least two weapons, they said, leading to many people fleeing.

A 24-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, the police said.

singsong flow helped define Atlanta’s ever-evolving, influential rap sound

a subtle vocal technician and one-third of the chart-topping group Migos,

The rapper was killed in a shooting at a bowling alley in Houston overnight.Send any friend a storyAs a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.

The estimate that 31 percent of U.S. adults own any gun is from an Ipsos KnowledgePanel survey of more than 31,000 adults

among 2,104 gun owners, including 399 AR-15-style rifle owners.

recruited through random sampling of U.S

Source: Sept. 30-Oct. 11, 2022, Washington Post-Ipsos poll of 399 AR-15-style rifle owners with an error margin of +/- 5.5 percentage points.

The Washington Post

, told NBC’s “Today” program last week. The story of the rescue had been reported earlier by The Washington Post.

“I felt like it was just a scene out of a movie,"

felt like hitting a concrete wall.

A sinking feeling

according to the United States Coast Guard

according to the company.

“Technology saved our lives,”

The Internet Saved Their Lives.

with an assist from a satellite internet signal.

rapid rescue would not have been possible without the battery-powered satellite device

How the shooting unfolded

At a vigil, Evelyn's sister cried as she said, "I don't want to be an only child."

The investigation

According to the national Gun Violence Archive, there have been 130 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year.

"Our community is heartbroken," the school said in a statement on Monday. "We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church." National 3 children and 3 adults are dead in a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville

Audrey Hale, who police identified as the shooter, bought seven firearms — including the three guns used in the attack — legally and was in treatment for an emotional disorder, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Tuesday.

Six people — including three children — were killed in the shooting, and the suspected attacker was killed by police within minutes of the first call of an active shooter.

Zebras are not considered exotic animals under Ohio law.

eventually was shot and killed.

deputies responded to the home and found the man in a fenced-in field, lying on the ground.

zebra attacked its owner at an Ohio home

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio