Black men deserve to grow old, too: On Takeoff and Migos; Black voters in Chatham County

This week's edition of The 912 pays tribute to Takeoff, one-third of the rap group Migos, and features the voices of Black voters.

Before the world knew Migos, Gwinnett County did. The Nawfside (Northside) did. Atlanta did. There are many memories I carry with me and a lot of them have soundtracks -— a song that I attach to the good times. With the news of Takeoff's death, one-third of the legendary group rap Migos, I remembered just how much I owe to the group for its influence.

From their cadence and adlibs to their fashion style and their imprints on pop culture, the sound of Migos and the image of family succeeding past their origins while sticking true to where they came from was so vital.

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I don't remember which Migos song I heard first. It might've been "Hannah Montana" or "Versace" — before Drake hopped on the remix — but I do remember when I started to pick one cadence out of the bunch. For me, when the group started breaking into the mainstream and the expected conversations of "who's the best in the group came up" the answer always came clear to me amongst the highly talented bunch.

Takeoff's flow was undisputed. It was a melodic rasp of lyrics that was so self-assured. When he really got into his pocket and rode the beat, I think we usually made the same face — that scrunch of our lips and nose, our heads bobbing as Takeoff slipped seamlessly into the next verse. It was clear why he'd earned the name Takeoff, a signal toward his ability to perfectly lay down a track in one take.

Usually, in moments like this, I feel like I didn't give people their flowers enough. But Takeoff was never left off of anything. Without Takeoff, the Migos would've never existed. He influenced his uncle (Quavo) to begin making music and when Offset (Quavo's cousin) hopped on board, it was the beginning of a 14-year-run.

At just 28, he was the perfect third member of the Migos, a silent but deadly rapper and legend who changed the game and culture forever.

— Laura Nwogu, quality of life reporter at the Savannah Morning News

Follow me on Twitter at @lauranwogu_ or email me at LNwogu@gannett.com

Pulse of the 912

Former Savannah Morning News intern Olivia Carter chatted with Black Chatham Voters about what is motivating them to vote this election. She talked with Dr. Geoff Bowden, a political scientist, Marion Bell, a Savannah State political science professor, and young voters for insight into the Black vote.

Olivia Carter: Concern about education, women's rights, and civil rights exploded among African American voters as an issue they felt needed the most attention within their community, according to a quick survey taken.

How do you best define a Black voter as a member of a social group with predetermined norms for how voting should be conducted? 

Bowden: “Black voters vote in very large percentages for the Democratic Party. Even if they're not liberal. Increasingly, more and more black people are conservative, identifying as conservative, and yet still vote democratic. And that's because of the internal norms that exist."

Bell: “Black people in the United States who vote. That might seem like an oversimplification. But when, when you talk to a local politician, someone at the state or federal level, voting records determine who they care about, who they're going to try to talk to. Antwan Lang, a Savannah State graduate and a local politician, talks all the time about the data they have that shows who voted. And those are the people they're going to go after. So whether it's black voters, women voters, they can focus and say where they're going to focus the resources. So throughout American history, and still today, there have been historically barriers, barriers for black voters”.

Olivia Carter: What is driving you as a voter to the polls this upcoming election?

Ouct’e Wright: “Just knowing that my vote matters. I think a lot of people believe that just one vote doesn't make a change, but I know that my vote matters”.

DaMarcus Barber: “I grew up in a community where people did not take voting seriously. Nobody really highlighted voting, but the older people in the community, so I feel like going to the polls and showing young people that every vote really does matter and is important is driving me to vote”.

Art of The 912

The 912 newsletter will highlight a local Black artist every two months as the header image for the weekly issue. This month's artist is Patrice Jackson.

Follow Jackson on her website and Instagram:

Website: patricejacksonart.wordpress.com

Instagram: @rooted_art.by_patrice

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Importance of Takeoff, Migos; What Black voters in Chatham County want