Nigerian born legendary Hip-Hop photographer, Chi Modu has passed on at the age of 54. Raised in America, Chi Modu takes credit for some of the iconic photos in US Hip-Hop history. He takes credit for documenting some of the most influential modern Hip-Hop cultures.
Chi Modu is known for his brilliant work from the 80s through to the mid-2000s. He took photos of every important person in America’s Hip-Hop at the time. Before his death, he then rose to become the director of photography at popular Hip-Hop publication, Source Magazine.
The legend’s death was announced visa his Twitter account. The tweet read: “Our hearts are broken… We continue the fight. The family request privacy at this time ”. The post was also accompanied by a picture of the icon and his lifespan, “1966-2021”. However, the cause of his death was not disclosed.
Chi Modu is a graduate of Rutgers University, New Jersey. He had started out as a photojournalist at the International Center of Photography in New York. He also worked for Harlem-based Amsterdam News in New York. Chi Modu is responsible for some of Hip Hop’s most prolific images of the 90s.
Chi Modi dies at 54
He was responsible for Mobb Deep’s The Infamous album cover and Notorious B.I.G. iconic image in from of the World Trade Center. Chi Modu also took Tupac Shakur’s iconic black and white bandanna pictures.
Former colleague and founder of The Source, Jonathan Shecter took to Twitter to mourn his loss. In the tweet, he wrote: “Devastatingly sad news: the sudden passing of Chi Modu—legendary hip-hop photographer, good-hearted friend, talented colleague, kind soul. Rest peacefully Chi, your warm heart and your artistic gifts will thrive in this sphere forever. Love you brother. So many memories…”
Chi Modu was born in Nigeria in 1966 to Nigerian parents. He and his family fled the Nigerian civil war in 1969 to settle in New Jersey, United States.