As he continues to process the loss of his Migos bandmate and nephew Takeoff, Quavo is turning his grief into action. On Wednesday, the rap star headed to Washington DC to speak on a Congressional Black Caucus panel about gun reform and met with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“You don’t think nothing is going to happen,” Quavo said during the panel. “I need to step up to the plate and hit a homerun. I have to do something about it, so it won’t happen to the masses—especially in our culture. I don’t want this to happen to the next person. I want to knock down these percentages.”
Takeoff was shot and killed in November 2022 while attending a private party at a Houston bowling alley. Quavo was present at the event and witnessed the shooting, meaning he must also process his own trauma as a victim of gun violence.
“I’m a survivor, I was there. So at the same time, it could have been both of us gone,” he told ABC News/Good Morning America. “I look at this as me being alive, I have to do this job and make sure everybody aware that losing my nephew you could be in the same position.”
Quavo and his family are honoring Takeoff with the Rocket Foundation, an organization that’s working with lawmakers to develop community based ideas for gun violence prevention. The “Without Me” artist feels Takeoff would appreciate the work he’s doing.
“Most definitely be proud of me,” he said. “I just know he ain’t never gonna leave my side. It’s a tough thing knowing that we separated and I’m not gonna see him again on this Earth.”
In addition to Takeoff, the hip-hop community has suffered a series of losses to gun violence, so it’s admirable to see one of the genre’s most influential voices using his tragedy for a greater purpose. We need to see the entire hip-hop world follow in his footsteps.