'I knew I was gonna be who I was': Takeoff on his career

Late rapper Takeoff's seriousness for the music was revealed when the band Migos' was first profiled by Rolling Stone in 2015.

The 28-year-old life was music. He told the American magazine that he'd never been in sports like many of his friends. "I could play a little ball, but it ain't what I do," he said, just a few years out of high school at the time. "My thing was rapping. I knew I was gonna be who I was. You couldn't tell me I wasn't going to be who I was. I knew I was going to be here."

The Bad & Boujee rapper credited Souther raps acts for inspiration, including Gucci Mane, Outkast, and the whole Cash Money crew — and serious about what music meant to him.

"You were just playing around, but you felt like you were dead serious," Takeoff added. "You know what I'm saying? You act like you're dead serious about what you really want to do."

Takeoff's journey has ended in a tragic, cruel fashion. Back then, it felt like it was just starting. "It's a blessing," the rapper told Rolling Stone as he looked forward to his future with Migos. "It's only the beginning, though. You ain't seen nothing yet."