{"id":2402,"date":"2022-11-13T18:05:42","date_gmt":"2022-11-13T23:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/2022\/11\/13\/inside-the-superstar-affair-for-the-funeral-of-migos-rapper-takeoff\/"},"modified":"2022-11-13T18:05:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T23:05:42","slug":"inside-the-superstar-affair-for-the-funeral-of-migos-rapper-takeoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/2022\/11\/13\/inside-the-superstar-affair-for-the-funeral-of-migos-rapper-takeoff\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the superstar affair for the funeral of Migos rapper Takeoff"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>State Farm Arena was transformed into a church Friday as family and fans gathered to celebrate the earthly departure of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/11\/02\/entertainment\/takeoff-shooting-houston-police\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Takeoff from Migos<\/a>.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Fans pay their respects at Takeoff&#039;s funeral in Atlanta\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JPPBGP3j-SQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>The three-hour sendoff was a superstar affair, featuring performances from Justin Bieber, Chloe Bailey and Yolanda Adams, as well as a poem by Drake, and words of remembrance from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the founders of Migos\u2019 label, Quality Control Music.<\/p><p>Cousin Offset, who along with Takeoff\u2019s uncle, Quavo, formed the platinum hit factory known as Migos, struggled to compose himself remembering his bandmate, who he grew up with and considered a brother. His head down, dreadlocks obscuring his face, he repeatedly apologized.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/221113081508-04-takeoff-memorial-atlanta-1111.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_270,w_480,c_fill\" alt=\"Offset repeatedly breaks down Friday during Takeoff's memorial service at Atlanta's State Farm Arena. \"\/><\/figure><p>Offset repeatedly breaks down Friday during Takeoff&#8217;s memorial service at Atlanta&#8217;s State Farm Arena.Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p><p>\u201cI love you, dog. I love you,\u201d he said.<\/p><p>Offset hasn\u2019t been able to sleep or eat following&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/11\/01\/entertainment\/takeoff-migos-dead\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the November 1 killing<\/a>, he told the several thousand people in attendance, most of them dressed in black. Every time he dozes off, he said, he wakes up hoping news of his 28-year-old cousin\u2019s fatal shooting in Houston was a terrible dream.<\/p><p>\u201cI wish we could laugh again,\u201d he said. \u201cI wish I could smoke one with you.\u201d<\/p><p>He closed saying how Migos changed the future of music \u2013 \u201cYou did that, Take\u201d \u2013 and called for more brotherhood and fellowship in the world before asking the crowd to pray with him.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paragraph-f861ad96-1cb0-0ba7-4991-690e88c76c04\">Drake delivers poem<\/h2><p>The ceremony opened with about an hour of gospel music. White roses covered the stage, and Takeoff\u2019s casket sat at the foot of stairs made to resemble mother of pearl. Acrobats in angel outfits danced in the back corners, suspended from white ribbons, as a choir sang. An infinity symbol with Takeoff\u2019s signature rocket emblem at its center ringed the arena, a nod not only to his latest productions but also to how he\u2019ll be remembered \u2013 forever.<\/p><p>Bieber took the stage in a dark toboggan, as box candles on the stadium screens bathed the arena floor in a soft glow. Perched on a stool with only a piano backing him, the two-time Grammy winner performed \u201cGhost.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cAnd if you can\u2019t be next to me\/Your memory is ecstasy\/I miss you more than life,\u201d he crooned.<\/p><p>Drake, who in 2013 catapulted the rising stars into an altogether other universe when he remixed and added a verse to their hit, \u201cVersace,\u201d leaned on British entertainer Joyce Grenfell and writer Maya Angelou in his eulogy.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/221113081722-06-takeoff-memorial-atlanta-1111.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_270,w_480,c_fill\" alt=\"After quoting Maya Angelou, Drake delivers his own poem during Takeoff's Celebration of Life.\"\/><\/figure><p>After quoting Maya Angelou, Drake delivers his own poem during Takeoff&#8217;s Celebration of Life.Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p><p>He quoted from Grenfell: \u201cIf I should go before the rest of you\/Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone\/Nor when I\u2019m gone speak in a Sunday voice\/But be the usual selves that I have known.\u201d<\/p><p>He then paraphrased Angelou\u2019s \u201cWhen Great Trees Fall,\u201d a poem on how it\u2019s understandable to be sad when great trees are felled, or when great souls pass, but it\u2019s wise to remember, \u201cThey existed. They existed\/We can be. Be and be better\/For they existed.\u201d<\/p><p>The hip-hop superstar, who just released an album with Atlanta\u2019s 21 Savage, then recited his own poem, \u201cWe Should Do That More,\u201d remembering how he got to know Migos on their 54-city tour in 2018. He teared up recalling the Swiss wristwatch, an Audemars Piguet, that Takeoff gave him as a gift<\/p><p>\u201cI miss performing with my brothers,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should do that more.\u201d<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paragraph-e66c3029-df4c-ac8a-a1f4-690e5e2b442d\">The quiet Migo<\/h2><p>Takeoff will always be remembered as the quiet Migo, but several speakers cautioned the crowd not to mistake his silence for a lack of things to say. He is regarded by many as the best rhymesmith of the trio, and Jesse Curney III, pastor of the Lilburn church Takeoff\u2019s family attends, shared a story that Quavo once told him about Takeoff\u2019s sobriquet.<\/p><p>Where Quavo and Offset needed multiple takes to get their verses onto tracks, retaking and retaking until they got it right, Takeoff \u2013 the youngest of the three \u2013 would walk up to the mic and lay down his lyrics in one perfect take. \u201cHe was an introvert,\u201d the pastor said, \u201cbut he trusted God\u201d to not hold back.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/221113081407-03-takeoff-memorial-atlanta-1111.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_270,w_480,c_fill\" alt=\"Takeoff's flower-covered casket sits at the foot of the stage during the service.\"\/><\/figure><p>Takeoff&#8217;s flower-covered casket sits at the foot of the stage during the service.Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p><p>Between Bailey\u2019s stirring rendition of Beyonce\u2019s \u201cHeaven\u201d and Adams\u2019 performance of the gospel song, \u201cThe Battle is Not Yours,\u201d Takeoff\u2019s family members took the podium to offer fond memories of the humble, wise, peaceful young man who always wanted to be a rapper but never fretted over credit or the spotlight. Even as a baby, he had a unique voice, his mother, Titania Davenport-Treet, said.<\/p><p>\u201cI could tell his cry from any other child,\u201d she said, adding that God must have given him that voice because he always knew what he wanted to be.<\/p><p>He was quiet but always paid attention, family members said, and he never bothered anyone. He was the funniest guy in the room, and no matter how famous he got, he never stopped putting family first and making sure their needs were met, they said.<\/p><p>\u201cHe hugged so tight, you could feel the love transferring through him,\u201d his mother said.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paragraph-0d6a9e7c-d40e-7350-f7f3-690eb75da8bd\">Fans lined up hours before event<\/h2><p>State Farm was a fitting venue for Takeoff\u2019s farewell. The rapper was often courtside \u2013 usually with Quavo and Offset \u2013 for Atlanta Hawks games, iced out and dripping. For years, his music has bellowed through the PA system during timeouts and replay reviews.<\/p><p>Though doors did not open until noon, fans began lining up outside the arena at around 8:30 a.m., despite a cool, steady drizzle. Around 10, a woman held her arm out of a passing silver Mazda and barked, \u201cRest in peace, Takeoff.\u201d The fans in line waved back.<\/p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kalandrick Woods and girlfriend Kailey Allen drove 45 minutes from Covington to be second in line for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Takeoff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Takeoff<\/a>\u2019s funeral in Atlanta. This was an hour or so before doors open. And it\u2019s raining. Notice the billboard in the background. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/03TPdGAVgs\">pic.twitter.com\/03TPdGAVgs<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Eliott C. McLaughlin (@ByEliott) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ByEliott\/status\/1591081920318017537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 11, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><p>Kalandrick Woods, 24, and girlfriend Kailey Allen, 20, of Covington were second in line. Woods took the day off as a sandblast machine operator, and they drove about 45 minutes to get downtown.<\/p><p>Woods became melancholy when asked his favorite song \u2013 \u201cLast Memory\u201d off Takeoff\u2019s 2018 debut solo effort \u2013 and said it\u2019s still hard to talk about his favorite Migo. He cried when he heard the news, he said.<\/p><p>\u201cI\u2019m still depressed about it,\u201d he said.<\/p><p>Woods likes that Takeoff was known to keep to himself, but by no means did that mean he was the lesser third of the group. With every new song, he appeared more developed as a lyricist, able to switch from rapid fire rap to deliberate four- or five-word bursts that painted vivid scenes. He put on mind-blowing displays of lyricism on 2014\u2019s \u201cCross the Country\u201d and more recently on his and Quavo\u2019s \u201cIntegration,\u201d staying on beat like a metronome as he flipped styles on the tracks.<\/p><p>\u201cDeadshot (brrt)\/AK make that head rock (brrt)\u201d is the beginning of Fifi Solomon\u2019s favorite Takeoff verse, though she had to think on it for a few seconds. From Migos\u2019 2017 hit, \u201cSlippery,\u201d Takeoff goes last \u2013 following Quavo, Offset and fellow ATLien Gucci Mane \u2013 and brings his band\u2019s Quentin Tarantinoesque cartel personae into graphic focus.<\/p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Fifi Solomon, left, and Nani Kidane came from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Migos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Migos<\/a>\u2019 home county of Gwinnett for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Takeofffuneral?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Takeofffuneral<\/a>. They didn\u2019t want to look into the camera but told me they loved his quiet nature, how he could have the shortest verse and say the most. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w5lDZK4gFE\">pic.twitter.com\/w5lDZK4gFE<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Eliott C. McLaughlin (@ByEliott) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ByEliott\/status\/1591086261661753344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 11, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><p>\u201cHe said a lot in just a few words,\u201d Solomon said. \u201cHe was the quietest, but I think he was the deepest lyrically.\u201d<\/p><p>Solomon, 25, and her friend, Nani Kidane, 28, traveled from Migos\u2019 onetime home base of Gwinnett County for the funeral. The band\u2019s impact reached well beyond Atlanta, they said. They were trendsetters in fashion and influenced the way rappers inject ad-libs into their music.<\/p><p>They also set an example with their work ethic, Kidane said. Takeoff will be dearly missed, she said.<\/p><p>\u201cI\u2019m a big fan,\u201d Solomon said. \u201cHe was my favorite lyrically out of the group, and he\u2019s from where I\u2019m from so it hit harder.\u201d<\/p><p>Added Kidane, \u201cIt hit close to home being from Gwinnett.\u201d<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paragraph-08843d28-ab7f-ab89-f1ad-690f234807e9\">Impact anything but quiet<\/h2><p>Maliyah Tindall, 22, of Riverdale, and Sequoia Thomas, 20, of Atlanta, also cited Takeoff\u2019s \u201cSlippery\u201d verse as one of their favorites. The pair drove from Clayton State University in Morrow, about 30 minutes away, to pay their respects.<\/p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Program for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Takeofffuneral?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Takeofffuneral<\/a> in Atlanta. Verse is from \u201cSupastars.\u201d<br><br>\u201cI put my heart inside this sh*t \u2018cause I was chose\/I put my heart inside and only God knows.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/slGhTldblE\">pic.twitter.com\/slGhTldblE<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Eliott C. McLaughlin (@ByEliott) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ByEliott\/status\/1591111199839485953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 11, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><p>\u201cHe\u2019s huge for the culture,\u201d Thomas said before the funeral. \u201cThey paved the way for a lot of rappers who are going to be here today.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cHe was quiet but had a big impact,\u201d Tindall said, spurring Thomas to add, \u201cLike a tame lion.\u201d<\/p><p>Migos were a fixture of Tindall\u2019s and Thomas\u2019 adolescence, they said, and he didn\u2019t always get the recognition he deserved, but he showed up on every track.<\/p><p>\u201cHe\u2019d even take over people\u2019s songs outside Migos,\u201d Thomas said of his features with other artists, including Lil Wayne, Roddy Rich and Travis Scott.<\/p><p>Takeoff seemed aware of his notoriety as the subdued Migo, but the Lawrenceville-born rap star also seemed ready to shake the reputation, eerily telling the podcast, \u201cDrink Champs,\u201d last month, \u201cIt\u2019s time to pop it, you know what I mean? It\u2019s time to give me my flowers, you know what I mean? I don\u2019t want them later on when I ain\u2019t here. I want them right now, so \u2026\u201d<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/221113081149-01-takeoff-memorial-atlanta-1111.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_270,w_480,c_fill\" alt=\"Quavo recalls how he and his nephew, Takeoff, wanted to be pro wrestlers as kids. \"\/><\/figure><p>Quavo recalls how he and his nephew, Takeoff, wanted to be pro wrestlers as kids.Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p><p>After more than a dozen Migos mixtapes and four studio albums \u2013 two of them platinum \u2013 Takeoff and Quavo recently announced they\u2019d be performing as Unc &amp; Phew. Last month, the pair released, \u201cOnly Built for Infinity Links,\u201d with Offset noticeably missing. Though the band had not officially broken up, there were rumors of some sort of beef among the trio.<\/p><p>It was abundantly clear from Friday\u2019s remembrance that Offset would give a lot to speak with his cousin one more time. Migos fans are hopeful that Takeoff\u2019s tragic killing might help Quavo and Offset reconsider whatever drove them to move in different directions.<\/p><p>\u201cI hope they can set aside their differences,\u201d Solomon told CNN. \u201cYou know, come together for Takeoff.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State Farm Arena was transformed into a church Friday as family and fans gathered to celebrate the earthly departure of&nbsp;Takeoff from Migos. The three-hour sendoff was a superstar affair, featuring performances from Justin Bieber, Chloe Bailey and Yolanda Adams, as well as a poem by Drake, and words of remembrance from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2403,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gynesisradio.com\/tpsquare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}