Takeoff funeral: Drake gives eulogy and Justin Bieber performs as Cardi B mourns in audience

Fans and loved ones gathered Friday to remember slain rapper Takeoff, a member of the hip-hop trio Migos, in rainy downtown Atlanta near where the 28-year-old grew up.

Takeoff, born Kirsnick Khari Ball, was shot and killed earlier this month outside a Houston bowling alley.

His uncle Quavo and cousin Offset, who rose to fame with him in the hip-hop trio Migos, took the stage at his funeral amid a formidable array of prominent figures who paid tribute to Takeoff.

Drake delivered an emotional eulogy comparing himself and Migos to the Rat Pack, according to TMZ. Meanwhile top-flight stars including Justin Bieber and Chloe Bailey delivered musical performances in Takeoff’s memory.

Mourners gathered in the State Farm Arena, including Offset’s wife Cardi B, who concealed her eyes behind a massive pair of sunglasses as she sat in the audience.

In memoriam: Takeoff, born Kirsnick Khari Ball, was shot and killed earlier this month outside a Houston bowling alley

A brief social media clip of Drake’s eulogy saw him hail Takeoff as ‘forever balanced. Whenever he would take his shades off, he had this thing about him that I loved – no matter what was going on around us he was, like, always kinda squinting but like his eyes were wide open.’

Video of Quavo’s eulogy has circulated on social media in which he recalled that since childhood, Takeoff had ‘been by my side, looking up at me with them eyes, same eyes you got as you got as my sister, waiting on me to make the next move, then you followed up right behind me. You always made sure I did it first so you could do it right with me.’

Quavo, who was just three years Takeoff’s senior, recalled: ‘You never competed with me. We was always on the same team, ‘cause you hated playing against me ‘cause I always played too hard or too rough. And I could hear Momma saying: “Not too rough, son,” ‘cause I ain’t like to lose.’

He touchingly remembered that his and Takeoff’s ‘first dream’ was not to venture into the music industry, bot to become ‘tag-team partners in the WWE.’

Warm words: A brief social media clip of Drake’s eulogy saw him hail Takeoff as ‘forever balanced’

Bereaved: Offset found himself reduced to tears as he gave a speech memorializing his cousin, whom he credited with having ‘changed the culture of music forever’

Tributes: Chloe Bailey (left) performed a song by Beyonce, while the Mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens (right), honored the rapper with a civilian award

Supportive spouse: Cardi concealed her eyes behind a massive pair of sunglasses as she sat in the audience beside Offset, whom she has been married to since 2017

Offset found himself reduced to tears as he gave a speech memorializing his cousin, whom he credited with having ‘changed the culture of music forever.’

Footage of the speech posted to TikTok showed Offset repeatedly becoming too overcome with emotion to go on, only for the audience to applaud and encourage him.

He begged God to give him and his family ‘strength,’ saying: ‘I don’t wanna question you, God, I just don’t – I don’t get it. I don’t get you sometimes.’

Kevin ‘Coach K’ Lee and Pierre ‘P’ Thomas, the hip-hop moguls whose label launched Migos, also gave speeches, as did Takeoff’s mother and siblings. 

Gospel singer: Yolanda Adams reportedly performed her number The Battle Is The Lord’s, a song that draws its title from the first book of Samuel in the Old Testament

Crooner: Justin Bieber took the stage and sang an acoustic version of his own 2021 song Ghost, with CNN reporting that a single piano was his only accompaniment

Apt: Justin’s song of choice includes the lines: ‘I miss you more than life, and if you can’t be next to me your memory is ecstasy’

State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, was hosting a 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.

A program for the funeral showed an order of events that included various musical performances, prayers, montages and poems. 

Chloe Bailey performed a song by Beyonce, while the Mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens, honored the rapper with a civilian award. 

Brass: Kevin ‘Coach K’ Lee and Pierre ‘P’ Thomas, the hip-hop moguls whose label launched Migos, also gave speeches, as did Takeoff’s mother and siblings

Side by side: A host of VIPs flooded into the State Farm Arena, including Teyana Taylor, who collaborated with Migos on her song Drippin, and CeeLo Green, who featured on Offset’s solo song North Star

Justin Bieber took the stage and sang an acoustic version of his own 2021 song Ghost, with CNN reporting that a single piano was his only accompaniment.

‘Since the love that you left is all that I get,’ the lyrics run: ‘I want you to know that if I can’t be close to you I’ll settle for the ghost of you. I miss you more than life, and if you can’t be next to me your memory is ecstasy.’

Gospel singer Yolanda Adams reportedly performed her number The Battle Is The Lord’s, a song that draws its title from the first book of Samuel in the Old Testament.

A host of VIPs flooded into the State Farm Arena, including Teyana Taylor, who collaborated with Migos on her song Drippin, and CeeLo Green, who featured on Offset’s solo song North Star.

A sign announces the memorial service for slain rapper Takeoff at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Friday

Takeoff arrives at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on July 10, 2019. On Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, fans will gather to remember the slain rapper

Spectators attend the Celebration of Life for Takeoff of Migos at State Farm Arena, lining up in the rain after tickets sold out quickly

A picture posted to Twitter shows the inside of the State Farm Arena, set up for Takeoff’s funeral

Officers confirmed that there were 40 to 50 people at the location, when they discovered a man with a gunshot wound to the head or neck. 

A woman and another man were also wounded in the shooting. No arrests have been made. 

Security guards who were in the area heard the shooting but did not see who did it according to police. 

Dispatchers reportedly heard five shots fired, according to TMZ, with witnesses telling officers that they heard multiple gunshots and screaming. 

Images from the scene reportedly show the rapper lying dead in a puddle of blood after being ‘shot in the head’ during the row.

Footage from the scene show Takeoff lying on the floor, while Quavo rushes to his side.

A group started to gather around the injured rapper and tried to move him, but quickly lowered him to the ground as Quavo screamed for help. 

Video of the incident shows several women shouting to ‘get inside’, while another man can be heard saying ‘I’m scared for you bro.’

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said the day after the shooting that Takeoff was ‘well respected,’ and there was ‘no reason to believe he was involved in anything criminal at the time.’ 

Migos was founded by Takeoff in 2008 with his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset – who is married to Cardi B. 

All three were largely raised by Takeoff’s mother in an Atlanta suburb.

A program for the funeral showed an order of events that included various musical performances, prayers, montages and poems

Footage shows Takeoff lying dead on the floor, while Quavo – wearing an orange top – rushes to his side and yells for someone to help

Jenifer Loving, 22, stands in line with her son, Mateo, more than an hour before the doors opened to fans for the memorial service for slain rapper Takeoff

Free tickets to the memorial service were available to Georgia residents, but State Farm Arena said the event reached capacity 

Jenifer Loving, 22, stood in line with her infant son, Mateo, for more than an hour before doors opened to fans. She said Takeoff´s death was heartbreaking because he was so young.

Migos’ music represented the creativity and culture of the Black community, she said, and she worried the group would be too saddened to make new music – at least for a while.

‘It´s just something that you can play anywhere, and everybody will just come out and come around and dance,’ she said. ‘It’s how it brings people together. It´s how it makes the whole room just fill up with positivity.’

Eric Hood, an Atlanta firefighter, said he was shocked when he heard about Takeoff’s death because of the three members of Migos, he was considered the most laid back.

Migos’ music was an ‘escape’ for many people, he said, and he was hopeful the event would leave his family and the rest of the group with lasting memories of him.

‘I pray for them,’ he said. ‘I hope they continue to be uplifting, positive, influential members in the society and keep pushing forward.’

Free tickets to the memorial service were available to Georgia residents, but State Farm Arena said well before Friday that the event had reached capacity and fans without tickets should not come downtown.

Migos’ record label, Quality Control, mourned Takeoff’s death in a statement posted on Instagram that attributed it to ‘senseless violence and a stray bullet.’ Police have said nothing about the gunshot being stray.

Instead of flowers or gifts, his family has asked that people make donations to The Rocket Foundation, which was established in Takeoff’s honor and aims to prevent gun violence, according to its website.