Cardi B Recalls ‘Terrible’ Moment She and Offset Learned About Takeoff’s D.e.a.th: ‘Such a Sensitive Time’

Takeoff was shot and killed outside a Houston bowling alley on Nov. 1

Cardi B is reflecting on the difficult moment she and husband Offset learned of the tragic death of his Migos bandmate and cousin Takeoff.

The “WAP” rapper, 30, opened up about the grief she and Offset, 31, have been dealing with since Takeoff’s fatal shooting on Nov. 1, and revealed that they were sleeping when they first learned the news.

Cardi said on The Jason Lee Podcast that the pair were supposed to go to a Halloween party in New York that night, but stayed home after daughter Kulture, 4, threw up on Cardi’s costume.

“We just fell asleep and out of nowhere, Offset’s phone kept ringing, my phone kept ringing,” she recalled. “Offset picked up the phone and he [was] just like, ‘Noooo,’ and he [was] screaming and screaming. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ and he’s like, ‘Takeoff is dead.'”

The star said she didn’t believe the news at first, and that it felt “terrible” as things began to sink in.

Takeoff, Cardi B, Offset. KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE

“I smacked him and I said, ‘Don’t say that. Like, don’t say that!’ And then he [was] just screaming and just throwing things, throwing up, running all over and I was so scared,” she said. “I was just crying so much. It was terrible.”

Cardi added that the aftermath was “such a sensitive time” in her home, as she and Offset found “any little bad thing” to be deeply “triggering.”

Offset was a member of Migos alongside Takeoff (real name Kirsnick Khari Ball) and Quavo, but had in recent years pursued solo endeavors. Still, Cardi said that the trio were deeply inspirational to her during her rise to fame, and that she’s grateful for the time she spent with them.

Quavo Releases Emotional New Song ‘Without You’ in Tribute to Late Fellow Migos Rapper Takeoff
“I feel like I’m so happy that I experienced all those great moments when they were all together and everything,” she told Lee. “It’s a great memory. Sometimes I cannot even listen to Culture because I get emotional. I love them forever.”

Takeoff. STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE

Cardi, Offset and Quavo have all been open with their continued grief in the months since Takeoff’s death, and in December, Offset wrote on Twitter that it was “not easy fake smiling and s—.” He also said he was “tryna keep walking with my head up.”

Quavo, meanwhile, released the song “Without You” earlier this month in which he chronicled his immense grief and reflected on the ways in which the loss would shape the rest of his life.

“I miss just how you smile at me / Unc and Phew until infinity,” sings Quavo, referencing the duo’s musical moniker used after they parted ways with Offset. “I wish I had a time machine / So you can take a ride with me / Wrap my arms around and hold you tight / So you can never say goodbye to me.”