The funeral for Kirshnik Khari Ball, the real name of the rapper Takeoff, will be held on Friday (November 11) at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The 28-year-old was shot dead on November 1 in Houston while playing dice with Quavo, his uncle and rap partner, at a bowling alley. Together with his cousin Offset, they formed the rap trio Migos and had a major impact on the sound of the hip-hop scene with their CULTURE trilogy.
The funeral service at the Atlanta Arena is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The eulogy will be delivered by Pastor Jesse Curney, who said of the rapper’s death: “I was very saddened to hear this news. Kirsnick has been a loyal member since he was ten years old. He and his family have been active and fervent supporters of the church and the wider community.” In addition to the pastor, the stadium, which can seat up to 20,000 people, will also feature a number of stars performing in commemoration of Takeoff. The city of Atlanta was chosen as the venue because it is the capital of Georgia and Kirshnik Khari Ball was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Justin Bieber had announced that he would sing at the funeral and Alicia Keys had also agreed to be on stage on Friday. It is unclear for both which songs and for how long they will sing. Drake had rescheduled an appearance at the Apollo Theater in New York to also attend the funeral. His cousin Offset announced on Twitterhe would publish something on the day of the funeral.
Tickets for the funeral service were free, but sold out very quickly. The arena’s website strongly recommends that anyone who doesn’t have a ticket shouldn’t come to the arena either. It is also forbidden to leave gifts or other objects in the arena. Takeoff’s family suggested to the Organization “Rocket Foundation” to donate, which was founded in honor of the late rapper. The name is an allusion to his stage name. The Rocket Foundation was established “to support programs created by established [und] community-based solutions to prevent gun violence save lives.”
When the news of Kirshnik Khari Ball’s death broke, a multitude of artists and public figures came forward to express their sadness.