Quavo Advocates for Gun Safety After Death of Takeoff: ‘It Could’ve Been Both of Us Gone’

Quavo and former Migos bandmate Offset have paid tribute to Takeoff several times since his death nearly a year ago. 

Two weeks after Takeoff’s death, Offset broke his silence and called the tragedy a “nightmare.”

“The pain you have left me with is so unbearable. My heart is shattered and I have so many things to say, but I can’t find the words,” he posted to Instagram.

Offset, only two years older than the close friend he regularly called his cousin, said he had been going to sleep and waking up hoping it was all a dream, but instead, “It’s reality, and reality feels like a nightmare.”

The rapper’s heartbreaking tribute continued, “I wish I could hug you one last time. Laugh one last time. Smoke one last time. Perform one last time.”

In April, Offset took to Instagram to reveal a massive back tattoo honoring Takeoff. The tattoo depicts Takeoff in space while wearing a tiger-print coat and a handful of chains around his neck. Offset kept the caption simple but sweet: “Love you 4L & after.”

Meanwhile, Quavo released the heartbreaking single, “Without You,” in January, just two months after Takeoff was killed.

The rapper shared how he’s struggled since Takeoff’s death in the emotional lyrics, rapping, “Tears rolling down my eyes. Can’t tell you how many times I cried. Days ain’t the same without you. I don’t know if I’m the same without you. I wish I had a time machine just so you can take a ride with me. But I know it don’t work that way and I’mma see you again someday.”

The Georgia rapper performed the single during the emotional In Memoriam segment at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, where he was joined by the gospel group Maverick City Music. After the moving performance, Quavo remained on stage holding Takeoff’s chain to the sky well into the next segment as the curtain came down.

In June, the duo reunited for a surprise performance to honor their late groupmate with a touching tribute during the BET Awards. 

Quavo and Offset performed together for the first time since they disbanded their hip-hop trio, Migos, after releasing their fourth and final studio album, Culture III, in 2021. When the awards show returned from a commercial break, a curtain raised on a darkened stage with two shadowed figures emerging: Quavo and Offset, standing before an image of the Space Shuttle. As a recording of Takeoff’s verse on the song “Hotel Lobby” began (as recorded by his duo with Quavo, Unc & Phew), the space shuttle took off and the pair launched into the group’s biggest hit, “Bad & Boujee.”

It was particularly poignant after reports surfaced that the two had a falling out after the album’s release, and their relationship became more strained following Takeoff’s death.

A week after the performance, Offset — born Kiari Kendrell Cephus — took to Instagram Live to share with his followers how the touching tribute to Takeoff came to be. 

“I love all my fans. I love y’all. We did a BET performance, man. It was iconic, man,” Offset said during the Instagram Live broadcast. “It cleared my soul. Me and my brother, Quay, man, we put that together within, like, 16 hours, like, 15 hours …We do that ’cause we’re some real stars. We do this music. We the greatest group to ever touch the mic. RIP my brother, Take. We did it for my brother, Take. Me and Quay stood tall, brother to brother. And I appreciate everybody for supporting. It was a movie, it was a vibe. We needed that for the culture.”