By Vince Dwriter: The hip-hop community suffered a major loss on November 1 as a member of the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated Atlanta-based trio Migos was shot and killed outside of a bowling alley in Houston, Texas.
Kirshnik Khari Ball, better known to his fans as Takeoff, was in Houston with his uncle and fellow group member Quavo to attend a private party for J Prince Jr, who is the son of Rap-A-Lot Records CEO, James Prince Sr. According to media reports, either a discussion about basketball, or a dice game escalated to an argument, and it led to the discharge of multiple firearms.
Video footage has been released, and it shows former WBO, WBC super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson standing inches away from Takeoff prior to the fatal shooting. In addition to the deceased, two other individuals were shot, and they suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Former two-division world champion Shakur Stevenson wasn’t physically injured.
A native of New Jersey, Stevenson relocated to Houston, Texas, where he now resides with his fiancee and infant daughter. The last time Stevenson was in competition, he lost his belts on the scale because he was 1.6 pounds over the 130-pound weight limit. However, the bout still took place, and Shakur Stevenson defeated Robson Conceicao by way of a 12-round unanimous decision on September 23 at the Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey.
Stevenson is on the verge of competing in the talent-rich 135-pound weight class with other notable boxing stars such as Vasiliy Lomachenko and Gervonta “Tank” Davis. The undefeated Shakur Stevenson is a high-skill boxer who hasn’t officially competed as a 135-pounder as of yet, but he’s already referred to as a top contender for the undisputed lightweight crown that is currently held by Devin Haney.
In regards to the shooting incident, J Prince Jr is facing a lot of backlash from the hip-hop community due to another video that was publicly released, and it shows J Prince Jr casually walking past Takeoff’s lifeless body as Quavo was pleading for help.
Shakur Stevenson’s connection to J Prince Jr most likely developed through his business relationship with his father. James Prince Sr is a man who is an advocate for the sport of boxing, and in addition to being a music mogul, he is the co-manager of Shakur Stevenson. James Prince Sr has a history in the fight game, as he was Floyd Mayweather Jr’s manager back in 2003.
With respect to the November 1st tragedy, Shakur Stevenson hasn’t released a public verbal statement, but he acknowledged the passing of his friend on his Instagram story, which includes a video of the slain rapper that states, “Rest easy Takeoff.”
