Vice President Kamala Harris will jet down to Atlanta Tuesday for a “gun violence prevention” discussion with Migos rapper Quavo, who has often exalted firearms in his own music.
Quavo, born Quavious Keyate Marshall, launched the Rocket Foundation following the death of his nephew and bandmate Takeoff, who was shot and killed Nov. 1, 2022, at a private party in Houston.
The foundation describes its goal as “ending gun violence in America” through investing in so-called Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs that “emphasize community-led care and address conflict, trauma, community needs, youth development, and much more.”
During the heyday of Migos, which was active for 15 years before disbanding following Takeoff’s murder, the Georgia-based group released multiple songs that could be read as glorifying gun violence.
Those include:
Hit ’em with a hundred round (BOW)
POW, get down – f—k n—a talkin’bout
Clown don’t make no sound –
All my n—s shooters
Got that sniper rifle on the roof, (Where?) shooter (Pew-pew,
pew-pew, pew-pew, baw, baw)
There go a n—a in the bushes over there, shooter (Ayy man,
go get that n—a, man, rra)
Shooters (I ain’t worried ’bout none)
I dreamed that I’ma be big, while I’m putting bullets inside my SIG,
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Momma said, “Don’t makе no sense”, ’cause I got shootеrs in all
my cribs, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Feelin’ like Al Capone with my Tommy Gun (Woo)
I’m feelin’ like I’m Osama Bin Laden on the run (Osama Bin Laden)
…
I’mma give you a warning
AK-47 karat lingo
Shoot a f—k n—a like a free throw
Finessin’ the plug for kilos
Gun control advocate, charity work
Most of these songs pre-date the April 2015 arrest of all three members of Migos on charges including carrying a weapon in a school safety zone, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a controlled substance following a concert at Georgia Southern University. (Quavo later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor marijuana charge and received a 12-month suspended sentence.)
The exception, “Shooters Inside My Crib,” was released in 2022, months before Takeoff’s death.
Quavo has opened up publicly about the toll his nephew’s death has taken on him and called on the US to take steps to curtail shootings.
“We need to do better with the control of guns,” Quavo told the Associated Press during a visit to Washington to meet with Harris this past September to discuss gun violence. “We need to figure out how do we keep these types of incidents from happening to people going anywhere and thinking they can hurt somebody where it shouldn’t happen.”
“It’s all about choices and how we can put a filter on who can use these guns.”
The 33-year-old has committed over $2 million to help violence intervention efforts in communities, many of them based in Atlanta, the city where Takeoff and Migos made their name.
“Atlanta is among the top US cities affected by gun violence, but its community violence intervention programs are underfunded relative to other major cities,” the Rocket Foundation explained. “Our goal is to help close that gap, and to go beyond by making Atlanta a model for other US cities.”
The Hunter split-screen
Harris’ event with Quavo will come just one week after President Biden delivered a rallying cry for more gun control at the annual Everytown Gun Sense University conference in Washington — mere hours after his son Hunter was found guilty of possession of a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs.
“We should hold families responsible if they don’t provide those locks on those guns,” the president proclaimed during his speech.
Harris has made over a dozen trips to the Peach State since ascending to the vice presidency. Following her event with Quavo, she will speak at a Juneteenth celebration.
