Questlove has a message for the culture following the tragic loss of Takeoff.

“Allow sadness and anger in,” wrote The Roots member via Instagram on Tuesday (Nov. 2) in a caption accompanied by a throwback photo of a young Takeoff and his uncle and fellow Migos member Quavo. “I don’t have a good relationship with either. My go-to is to fix it. Or more typical is to numb it.”

The Summer of Soul filmmaker also opened up about the strong need for Black people to allow themselves to go through the motions of what they’re feeling rather than compartmentalizing and pushing things to the side. “This has been our process since our arrival in America,” Questlove continued. “Emotions were not allowed ever in our lives: If you express anger, you were a threat. If you cry, [you’re] an emotional a** b**ch. If you laugh, you were sassing, getting smart, [or] showing off – all three punishable.”

Check out Questlove’s Instagram post below.

He also labeled the consistent need to play things calmly as a trauma response within our community. “Black people invented ‘cool’ as a means of protection, not just to look sexy,” he said. “Cool is holding something back. Not saying too much. Being a mystery. Cool is a coping mechanism. A toxic one.” Furthermore, Questlove encouraged his people to feel what they need to experience in times of tragedy like this. “Please do not numb your emotions,” he pleaded. “Let it out. Please.”

As previously reported by REVOLT, Takeoff was shot and killed in Houston early Tuesday (Nov. 1) morning. He was only 28 years old. Fans and fellow musicians alike have taken to social media to pay homage to the slain rapper, including Quality Control Music CEO Pierre “Pee” Thomas. “Young King @yrntakeoff, I don’t know where to begin, but I want to say that anybody that knows me knows how much I love you, and anybody that knows you knows that you definitely didn’t deserve to die at such a young age,” wrote Thomas in a heartfelt Instagram post.