Gucci Mane pays tribute to Migos’ Takeoff with new song ‘Letter To Takeoff’
Gucci Mane has paid tribute to frequent collaborator Takeoff, sharing a new song in honour of the late Migos member – who was fatally shot earlier this month – titled ‘Letter To Takeoff’.
“How the fuck we gon’ lose Takeoff? Damn, he didn’t deserve it / We don’t supposed to question God, but, damn, Takeoff was perfect,” Gucci raps on the Zaytoven-produced track.
Gucci also references the shooting deaths of XXXTentacion (in 2016), Young Dolph (in 2021) and PnB Rock (in September of this year). He also remembers Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo, who died in a car crash in 2016. The song arrives alongside a video directed by Joe Yung Spike. Watch that below:
“Long live The Rocket. We love you, Takeoff. We miss you already. We never gon’ forget you,” Gucci says during the track’s spoken outro, before sharing his condolences to Takeoff’s family.
“Let’s start giving our loved ones they flowers while they here, because it’s crazy out here,” the rapper continues. One day you’re here, the next day you could be gone. And it’s sad. Takeoff, you will forever be in my heart.
“It’s been over ten years since I met you at my studio. I knew immediately you would be a star. You left behind some amazing memories that will last forever. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. We talk about you still, and you will never be forgotten.”
Gucci, who was one of many who attended Takeoff’s funeral in Atlanta on Friday (November 11), collaborated with Migos many times over the course of their respective careers. The trio – Takeoff, Quavo and Offset – released one full-length project with Gucci, the 2014 mixtape ‘The Green Album’.
Migos also featured on Gucci Mane’s 2017 track ‘I Get The Bag’ and 2018’s ‘Solitaire’. Gucci, in turn, appeared on many of Migos’ songs, including ‘Slippery’ (from 2017’s ‘Culture’) and ‘CC’ (from 2018’s ‘Culture II’). Gucci also featured on ‘Us vs. Them’, a track from Takeoff and Quavo’s collaborative album ‘Only Built For Infinity Links’, which arrived last month.
Takeoff, real name Kirsnick Khari Ball, was shot and killed during an altercation at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas in the early hours of November 1. He was 28 years old. The rapper’s death was ruled a homicide. In a statement, Migos’ label, Quality Control, said he had been killed by a “stray bullet”.
Both Quavo and Offset have paid tribute to their bandmate and relative. Quavo, who was Takeoff’s uncle, shared a lengthy eulogy over the weekend. “Nothing ever bothered Take and he didn’t bother anybody,” Quavo wrote, calling his nephew “by far the funniest person in [the] room”.
On Tuesday (November 15), Offset shared his own tribute. “The pain you have left me with is unbearable. My heart is shattered and I have so many things to say, but I can’t find the words,” he said.
“I wish I could hug you one last time. Laugh one last time. Smoke one last time. Perform one last time,” Offset, who delayed the release of his forthcoming solo album in light of Takeoff’s death, said. “I know someone with a soul like yours is in heaven now. I hope you can see how much we love you and miss you. You have left a hole in my heart that will never be filled.”
The likes of Drake, Cardi B, Dave, Rick Ross, Ja Rule, Kid Cudi, AJ Tracey, Rae Sremmurd, Wiz Khalifa, City Girls‘ Yung Miami, DJ Premier and Cordae have all also paid their respects on social media.
As of yet, no arrests have been made in relation to Takeoff’s death. Earlier this week, the rapper’s aunt – Quavo’s sister – called for the gunman to be identified. “Find out who did this to my NEPHEW,” she wrote on social media. “By any MEANS.”
Forming Migos in 2008 with Quavo and Offset, Takeoff would go on to release more than a dozen mixtapes and four studio albums with the group, most recently ‘Culture III’ in 2021. He released his debut solo album ‘The Last Rocket’ in 2018.
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Alex Gallagher
NME
