Cardi B performed at the American Music Awards on Sunday night as she returned to the stage for her first televised performance since Takeoff’s death.
The WAP hitmaker joined GloRilla at the American Music Awards for the first ever performance of their single Tomorrow 2, which is a remake of the 23-year-old star’s track Tomorrow.
Cardi was a surprise guest at the ceremony, which took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and marked his first performed since her husband Offset’s Migos bandmate was killed by a ‘stray bullet’ aged 28 in a shooting in Houston earlier this month
The performance, which came a couple of days after Cardi joined Lizzo on stage for Rumors during her show in Inglewood, California, started with GloRilla kicking things off with dancers wearing white versions of her yellow bralette and high-waisted pants.
Cardi later appeared out of a purple sports car wearing a similar outfit in baby blue, and delivered her verse on their collaboration.
During the ceremony, AMAs host Wayne Brady paid tribute to Takeoff in a powerful call to end ‘senseless and terrible gun violence’.
‘We recently lost Kirsnick Khari Ball, better known as Takeoff, one-third of the groundbreaking hip-hop group Migos,’ he said.
‘On behalf of all of us that love hip-hop all around the world, we thank you, Takeoff, for your artistry, and tonight, we honour your memory. We have to stop this senseless and terrible gun violence.’
The hip hop artist was a member of rap group Migos alongside his uncle Quavo, real name Quavious Keyate Marshall, and his cousin-once-removed Offset, real name Kiari Kendrell Cephus.
A public memorial, dubbed a ‘celebration of life’, took place in Takeoff’s honour on Friday November 11 in Atlanta, Georgia, which was attended by friends, family, fans and members of the music industry.
On the day of the memorial, Cardi posted compilation of pictures of Takeoff on Instagram, and wrote: ‘Takeoff your untimely passing has brought a great deal of pain and sorrow to so many lives.
‘The impact you had in this world was so considerable and we have struggled to grasp this tragedy.’
The Bodak Yellow rapper said she feels ‘heartbroken’, but ‘grateful for all the precious memories’ everyone shared with Takeoff before his death.
‘This has truly been a nightmare and the pain is incomparable. The emptiness your brothers are feeling is unbearable and I pray that you give Offset ,Quavo, and your friends and family the strength to keep going as they are trying to cope with this loss,’ she wrote.