Drake, 36, was among the mourners at Takeoff‘s Celebration of Life memorial in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, November 11, 2022, and he took the opportunity to share a personal detail. While big names like Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys, and more were set to perform, it was the “Money In The Grave” rapper who was caught speaking on video by a stealthy fan who uploaded the clip to Twitter. “Forever balanced,” Drake said from the pulpit in a video clip that seemed to start mid-sentence.
🚨 Drake speaks at Take Off ‘s Funeral in Atlanta#lltakeoff #takeoff #riptakeoff #drake pic.twitter.com/yY7nlcPhsn
— CulturedUpdates (@CulturedUpdatez) November 11, 2022
He then launched into a nuance that he’d noticed about Takeoff, who died of gunshot wounds during a shooting in Texas on Halloween night. “Whenever he would take his shades off, he had this thing about him that I love. No matter what was going on around us, he was always, kind of like squinting. But like, his eyes, were wide open.”
Drake had previously taken to Instagram to pay tribute to the later rapper. “I got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch,” Drake captioned the Nov 1 pic of the duo onstage. “That’s what I’ll focus on for now 😔 rest easy space man Take 🚀.”
Takeoff was at a bowling alley in Houston when a fight broke out in the early morning hours of November 1. He was only 28 at the time of his death. News of the fatal shooting, (which reportedly also left Quavo‘s assistant Joshua Washington injured,) rocked the rap community and music industry at large.
Former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland took to Instagram stories to express her shock in the hours following the news. “Keeping his family in my prayers! There are no words…” she wrote. Rapper Ja Rule headed to Twitter. “Rip Takeoff… this sh** has to STOP… sending love to friends and family.” And Beyonce notably replaced the landing page of her personal website with a photo of Takeoff. “Rest In Power,” she wrote, alongside his given name, Kirsnick Khari Ball and the years 1994-2022.
Gucci Mane, who appeared on Migos album Culture II also expressed his grief. “This broke my heart 💔,” he wrote. “Rest In Peace.”