Takeoff Said It Was ‘Time to Give Me My Flowers’ Days Before He Was Killed

Just days before Takeoff was shot and killed in Houston, he spoke about how it was time for him to be recognized for his work — and that he didn’t want the praise to arrive after he was gone. Last week, Takeoff and Quavo appeared on Revolt’s Drink Champs podcast to speak about their duo album, Only Built for Infinity Links, and their career success in Migos.

On the show, host N.O.R.E. praised Takeoff — known for being the more laidback, quiet member of Migos — for “shining” on the album with Quavo, adding that the new LP seemed to be his “time to prove” things.

“For sure. Enough is enough,” Takeoff said. “I’m chill, I’m-laid back, but it’s time to pop it, you know what I mean?”

He added, “It’s time to give me my flowers. I don’t want them when I ain’t here.”

N.O.R.E.’s assessment and praise of Takeoff mirrors fellow Migos star Offset’s description of his groupmate, who shared what made Takeoff so special in an interview with Rolling Stone back in 2018.

“He is outspoken with the people he fuck with, he love, but he quiet to everyone else. He analyzes a lot, that’s why I think his raps be so strong,” Offset said. “Takeoff got some strong shit. He’s just powerful.”

Takeoff died early Tuesday morning after he was shot, Rolling Stone confirmed. At the time of his death, Takeoff was at a party at a Houston bowling alley with Quavo, who was unharmed in the shooting.

A spokesperson for the Houston PD told reporters that there was a private party at the venue that ended at about 1 a.m., though the party carried over for another hour until it was cleared out. “That’s when the shooting occurred… We are still in the process and early stages of this investigation, trying to gather all the information we can, and we are looking to the public’s help.”

The spokesperson did not identify the victim, but when asked if members of Migos were in attendance, they said, “Yes, we were informed that they were here.”

Several musicians were among those to share their condolences for the rapper on social media.

Gucci Mane, who recently collaborated with Takeoff and Quavo on “Us vs. Them,” shared a photo of the rapper on Instagram, writing “This broke my heart 💔Rest In Peace @yrntakeoff.”

“Rip Takeoff… this shit has to STOP… sending love to friends and family,” wrote Ja Rule. “We lost a young legend #Takeoff 🙏🏽,” added Rick Ross.

Rapper Desiigner, whose 2016 rise coincided with that of Migos, openly wept on an Instagram Live stream following the news of Takeoff’s death. “Why do we do this? Why do we fucking do this?” he asked through tears. “I swear this shit ain’t nothing. I’m done rap. It’s done, it’s done, it’s done, it’s done. Not to Takeoff, bro. It’s done.”