Kirshnik Ball Biography

While growing up as a child, Kirshnik Ball was always drawn to music. He started belting out cool beats and often developed unique rhythms starting from seventh grade. Friends and family realized that he had a natural talent, as he performed in gatherings or at school in random performances, but at that point he did not realise that he would pursue music as a career.

In 2009, he was approached by his uncle, Quavious Keyate Marshall, and his cousin Kiari Kendrell Cephus, who were greatly impressed by his raw talent, to form this hip-hop trio. Ball agreed and the three of them started the group Polo Club. The three of them even adopted stage names, Quavious became Quavo, Kiari became Offset and Krishnik took on the name Takeoff. The trio made odd stage appearances around Georgia and created mediocre music. Takeoff still did not take the music thing very seriously. The other two members eventually sat down with him, brought his attention to his talent and what possibilities the future might hold if they find success. This acted as a wakeup call for Takeoff and he serious concentrated on creating quality music with his team.

Finally in August, 2011, Polo Club released their first full length project, a mixtape by the title Juug Season. They followed this up with another mixtape in 2012 in June, 2012. During this time they changed the group's name to Migos.

Fame finally knocked on Takeoff’s doors when in 2013 Migos’ single titled Versace went viral. The song made rounds of the music circuit and ended up at number 99 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was even remixed by Canadian rapper Drake and later that year he performed it at the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival.

In the wake of the popularity of their first hit single, Migos released their mixtape Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas)’ and featured Versace as the lead single. The album received much critical acclaim, getting 8 out of 10 from Brandon Soderberg of Spin Magazine. They started performing with premiere platforms, including Hot 109.7 radio stations birthday bash. Versache and Y.R.N. featured in a number of noteworthy publications in the hip-hop category of 2013, by the end of the year, including Spin Magazine, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.

In 2015, Takeoff along with his group mates released Migos’ fourth project and the first full-fledged album, Yung Rich Nation. The album featured guest appearances by big names like Chris Brown and Young Thug. The album sold 150,000 copies in the first week alone and got third position in the Top Rap Album Charts.

In 2016, Takeoff along with with Migos was set to sign a lucrative contract with GOOD Music Imprint mediated by Kanye West himself but as of 2017, the deal has not been finalized.

In 2016, Migos achieved their first number one single, Bad and Boujee, from their second album and it featured the voice of rapper Lil Uzi Vert. The song went straight on top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it Takeoff’s first chart topper in the US. The music video of the song received over 1.1 billion views in the trio’s YouTube channel. The song was certified four time platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Migos second studio album, Culture, came out in January, 2017, debuting at number 1 on the US Billboard 200. It sould more than 44,000 copies during the first week of its release. It was certified platinum in America by July 2017. Migos second album, Culture II, was released in January 2018, and it became the group's second album to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200. It sould 38,000 copies in its first week.

Migos is definitely a family affair as all three members are related to each other and have grown up together in the same Lawrenceville neighborhood. Quavo is Takeoff’s uncle and Offset is Quevo’s cousin. Kirshnik Ball’s educational background is not clear although it is assumed that he completed his high school. Not much is known about his personal life.

In March 2014, Takeoff, along with other Migos members, was involved in a shooting incident outside of Miami. Apparently, an unknown shooter fired upon the van carrying the hip-hop trio, from a parallel vehicle. Someone from the Migos’ entourage also returned fire from the van. Although some of his entourage was injured in the exchange, Takeoff and his band members were unharmed.

Takeoff (Kirshnik Khari Ball) was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston at around 2:30AM Houston time. He and Quavo were playing dice at the place. The authorities pronounced him dead at the scene. The cause of shooting is not known.