Rappers like Takeoff are being murdered. It's about more than their music

During a news conference on Wednesday morning, Houston police chief Troy Finner had few updates about rapper Takeoff's death the night before in a downtown bowling alley. But after confirming the rapper's identity (Kirshnik Khari Ball) and the fact a suspect had not been arrested, he did have something to say. 

Speaking to a crowd of reporters in the room and the millions of fans Takeoff and his group Migos had amassed, Finner cautioned the public about demonizing the hip-hop community following the loss of one of the genre's most famous names in the last decade. 

"Sometimes the hip-hop community gets a bad name, and I know …  a lot of great people in our hip-hop community and I respect them," he said. 

"We all need to stand together and make sure nobody tears down that industry."

The choice to stress that point is tied up in the perception of hip-hop and an ongoing issue that seems to perpetually dog the genre — the premature deaths of some of its most promising artists. 

But as Finner also stressed, there was no indication Takeoff himself was at all involved in criminal activity and was more than likely just an innocent bystander caught by violence swirling around him.

Alongside that, a fraught debate has emerged about the cost of authenticity in the hip-hop community, where artists might feel pressure to live up to the lifestyle they describe in their music. Others say the genre is unfairly scapegoated and that violent lyrics don't translate into real-world violence.

After news broke of Takeoff's death on Tuesday, the music community mourned the 28-year-old artist who, as a member of the rap trio Migos, pioneered a new sound in rap and hip hop.

But while fans expressed sorrow at Takeoff's passing, the level of surprise is unique to the world of hip hop. While the death of celebrities at the top of other genres, like Drake or Taylor Swift, would be extraordinarily unexpected, this year seven rappers have been killed — giving fans a rubric of how to react when one of biggest hip-hop stars is killed. 

Migos' impact on hip hop and culture at large is impossible to ignore, and far exceeded expectations from their beginnings.

They're like the Beatles for the rap [world]," Toronto rapper Pressa told CBC News, referencing how they influenced both the music industry and pop culture.

Though Versace didn't make it high on the charts when it was released in 2013 — peaking at 99 on Billboard's Hot 100 — it proliferated in Atlanta clubs and eventually reached international fame when Drake added an additional verse.

All the while, frontman Quavo and Offset — one half of a power couple with fellow musician Cardi B — drew most of the audience's attention; the quieter and youngest member, Takeoff, meanwhile seemed to take a backseat in interviews and performances.

But in reality, he was the one who largely drove their creative process — and whose mastery of their triplet flow initially drew the attention of Kevin (Coach K) Lee and Pierre (P) Thomas, co-founders of Migos' management company and label Quality Control.