Atlanta
CNN
—
The State Farm Arena turned into a church on Friday as family and fans gathered to celebrate his earthly departure. Take off from Migos.
The three-hour send-off was a superstar event, with performances from Justin Bieber, Chloe Bailey, Yolanda Adams, Drake’s poetry, and tributes from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the founder of the Migos label, Quality Control Music. . .
Cousin Offset, who formed the platinum hit factory known as Migos with Takeoff’s uncle Quavo, struggled to remember the bandmates he grew up with and considered brothers. Bowing his head and covering his face with dreadlocks, he apologized repeatedly.
“I love you, dog. I love you,” he said.
Offset could neither sleep nor eat as Murder on November 1sthe told the thousands who attended that most of them were dressed in black. I wake up wishing for
“I wish I could laugh again,” he said. “I wish I could smoke with you.”
He concludes by saying how Migos changed the future of music, “You did it, take,” before asking the crowd to pray with him for more brotherhood in the world. I asked for communion with
The ceremony started with about an hour of gospel music. White roses covered the stage and the take-off coffin was placed under a staircase made to resemble a mother-of-pearl. Acrobats in angel costumes danced in the back corner, suspended from white ribbons as the choir sang. An infinity symbol centered on the takeoff rocket emblem rings the arena, showing not only his latest work, but how he will be forever remembered.
Bieber took to the stage in a black toboggan and box candles on stadium screens illuminated the arena floor with a soft glow. played.
“And if you can’t be by my side/Your memory is ecstasy/I miss you more than I do in life,” he crouched.
Throwing a rising star into a whole other universe when he remixed and added a verse to his 2013 hit “Versace,” Drake paid tribute to British entertainer Joyce Grenfell and author Maya Angelou. .
He quoted from Grenfell:
He then paraphrased Angelou’s “When Great Trees Fall.” This is understandable to grieve when a big tree is cut down or a great soul dies, but it is wise to remember. They existed/we can be and be and be better/because they existed. ”
Fresh out of an album with 21 Savage, the hip-hop superstar recited a self-penned poem, “We Should Do That More,” while recalling how he met Migos during their 54-city tour in 2018. He wept as he remembered his Swiss wristwatch. , the Audemars Piguet that Takeoff gifted him
“I miss playing with my brothers,” he said. “We should do more of it”
Takeoff will always be remembered as the silent Migo. However, several speakers cautioned the audience not to mistake his silence for lack of speech. Jesse Kearney III, pastor of Lilburne Church he attends, shared a story Quavo once told him about the name of the takeoff.
Quavo and Offset required multiple takes to get their verses onto the track, repeating takes until they got it right, but Takeoff was the youngest of the three, getting closer to the mic and creating one perfect sound. I wrote the lyrics on the take. “He was an introvert,” said the pastor.
Between Bailey’s moving rendition of Beyoncé’s “Heaven” and Adams’ chorus of the gospel song “The Battle is Not Yours,” the Takeoff family took to the podium and said they always wanted to be humble, wise and peaceful young people. He spoke fondly of the humble, wise, and peaceful youth he longed for. I’m a rapper, but I never worried about the credits or the spotlight. His mother, Titania Davenport-Treett, said he had a unique voice since he was a baby.
“I could hear him cry from every other kid,” she said, adding that God must have given him that voice because he always knew what he wanted to be. added.
He was quiet, but he always paid attention and never bothered anyone. He was the funniest man in the room. He never stopped thinking about what they needed and making sure their needs were met.
“He hugged me so tightly that I could feel the love coming through him,” his mother said.
State Farm was the perfect place to say goodbye to the takeoff. The rapper was usually courtside with Quavo and Offset for an Atlanta Hawks game, iced out and dripping. For years, his music has roared through his PA system during timeouts and replays of his reviews.
The doors didn’t open until noon, but fans began lining up outside the arena around 8:30 am, despite a cool, steady drizzle. Around 10:00, a woman held out her arm from a passing silver Mazda and barked, “Rest in peace, take off.” Fans lined up for her waved her hand.
Kalandric Woods, 24, and his girlfriend, Covington, Kylie Allen, 20, were second. Woods took a day off as operator of his sandblasting machine and drove about 45 minutes to downtown.
Woods became gloomy when asked about his favorite song from Takeoff’s 2018 debut solo effort, “Last Memory,” and said he still finds it difficult to talk about his favorite Migo. He said he cried when he heard the news.
“I’m still depressed about it,” he said.
Woods likes that Takeoff is known for defending himself, but that by no means means that he was in the bottom third of the group. seemed more developed as a lyricist, able to switch from rapid fire raps depicting vivid scenes to deliberate three or four word bursts. and most recently he and Quavo’s ‘Integration’ kept the beat ticking like a metronome while switching between track styles.
“Deadshot (brrt)/AK make that head rock (brrt)” is the beginning of Fifi Solomon’s favorite takeoff verse, but it took her a few seconds to think. From his 2017 hit “Slippery” for Migos, Takeoff is the last to appear after Quavo, Offset and fellow his ATLien Gucci Mane, graphic his Quentin Tarantinoesque cartel persona for his band. Bring it into focus.
“He said a lot in just a few words,” Solomon said. “He was the quietest, but I think he was the deepest lyrically.”
Solomon, 25, and her friend Nani Kidane, 28, traveled from Migos’ former home of Gwinnett County for the funeral. The band’s influence extended far beyond Atlanta, they said.
They also set an example in work ethics, Kidane said. She said the takeoff would be very lonely.
“I’m a big fan,” Solomon said. “He was my favorite lyrically in the group, and it was all the more shocking because he’s from where I’m from.”
Kidane added, “I’m from Gwinnett and hit close to home.”
Marya Tyndall, 22, of Riverdale and Sequoia Thomas, 20, of Atlanta, also named Takeoff’s “slippery” verse as one of their favorites. The two paid their respects from Creighton State University in Morrow, a half-hour drive away.
“He’s huge to the culture,” Thomas said before the funeral. “They paved the way for many rappers who would come here today.
“He was quiet, but he was a big influence,” says Tyndale, adding to Thomas, “like a tame lion.”
Migos was a staple of Tindall and Thomas’ adolescence, and although he didn’t always get the recognition he deserved, he appeared on every track.
“He even took over songs from people other than Migos,” says Thomas of working with other artists, including Lil Wayne, Roddy Rich and Travis Scott.
The takeoff seemed to recognize his notoriety as the down-to-earth Migo, but the Lawrenceville-born rap star seems poised to shake his reputation, eerily speaking last month on the podcast Drink Champs. . average? It’s time to give me flowers, do you know what I mean? I don’t want them later when I’m not here. I want it now, so…”
After more than ten Migos mixtapes and four studio albums (two of which are platinum), Takeoff and Quavo recently announced that they would be working together as Unc & Phew. Last month, the pair released “Only Built for Infinity Links,” which is noticeably lacking in offset. Although the band hadn’t officially broken up, there were rumors of some sort of beef between the trio.
From Friday’s recollections, it was abundantly clear that Offset had a lot to give to talk to his cousin once more. I hope it might help you rethink what got you going.
“I hope they put their differences aside,” Solomon told CNN. “Come on, come with me for takeoff.”