The rapper Offset, a former member of the influential hip-hop trio Migos, is in a stable condition after being shot outside a Florida casino on Monday, according to a spokesperson.
Offset, who was once married to rapper Cardi B, was being treated at a hospital, the spokesperson said in a statement, although his exact condition was unknown. Police said the injuries were not life-threatening.
More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.
The shooting followed a fight, police said. A rapper known as Lil Tjay, real name Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested in connection with the altercation that occurred before Monday’s shooting, the Seminole police department in Florida said.
He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid licence, but he was not charged with the shooting.
The 24-year-old rapper is a stalwart of New York’s South Bronx scene, celebrated for his sing-rapping and pop-hip-hop style delivered over drill beats.
While police said one person sustained injuries at a valet area outside the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, they did not identify the victim.
A second person detained at the scene had not been charged, and investigators were working to identify others involved, police said in a statement on Tuesday.
Offset, whose off-stage name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, formed one-third of the Grammy Award-nominated Migos.
The trio, with its rapid-fire triplet flow, became known as one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. They broke out with the 2013 hit Versace and later earned Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album with 2018’s Culture, while a track off it nabbed a nod for best rap performance.
Offset and Cardi B married secretly in September 2017 in Atlanta. In 2024, Cardi B announced that she had filed for divorce. They have three children together.
The third member of Migos, rapper Quavo, sought to transform his nephew Takeoff’s shooting into a force for change, holding a summit against gun violence in 2024.
Police said Takeoff was an innocent bystander when he was shot outside a Houston bowling alley after a disagreement over a dice game.
Takeoff’s death was among a string of fatal shootings in recent years involving hip-hop stars such as Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, PnB Rock and Young Dolph.
Offset embarked on a solo career years before Takeoff’s death.
Source: AP
