Cherish the memories of the

things and the people who bring

you joy.

This week, a very influential

member of a trio of rappers passed

away. Takeoff, from the Migos, was

shot and killed in Houston.

I listened to a lot of Migos when I

was younger, and it really hurts to

lose a part of your childhood like

this.

Passing at the young age of 28,

Takeoff was the cousin of Offset and

the nephew of Quavo—the other

two members of the Migos.

Together, they’re known for

hit songs like “Bad & Boujie”,

“Motorsport” and “Stir Fry”. To

me, Takeoff had the most skillfully

crafted verses and was the best

member of the group lyrically.

You can’t reasonably deny that

the trio impacted the culture and

rhythm of rap for the better.

No label group or rap group

has the cadence, delivery and

chemistry those three had. They

became a one of a kind talent and a

once in a generation group.

Takeoff’s passing is tragic and will

be fuel for nostalgic backtracking

for those that have been listening to

Migos since the early 2010s. I hope

it inspires new ears to listen to one

of the best trios to ever touch the

rap scene.

I remember being in middle

school on the back of the bus on the

way to basketball games blasting

“Handsome & Wealthy”, “Wishy

Washy” and “Freak No Mo” with

the team.

Migos gave me a moment I would

never forget, and I still know many

of their songs word for word. Much

of that is because of the lyrical

genius that was Takeoff.

I heard about his passing on

Twitter in the early hours of that

same morning and I refused to

believe it for the longest time. I

kept believing it was just more

fake rumors until legit outlets were

reporting it too.

When the news finally broke

and the videos surfaced, the

impact became all too real. I’ve

unfortunately seen the deaths of

many rappers I listened to growing

up and listening to even now within

the past four years.

This is a painful reminder of how

quickly life can be taken away. It

makes you think how you’ll never

hear anything new from that artist

again.

I feel for his friends and family. All

of his fans are mourning with them.

But the songs and impacts he made

on me and others is still alive. His

legacy will never go in the grave.