Iconic Hip Hop photographer Chi Modu dies age 54

On the 23rd of May Chi Modu ’s family made the announcement of his passing on Instagram,  captioning the post “Our hearts are broken… We continue the fight”.

To no surprise hundreds of followers commented sending their condolences to the family and words of appreciation for the photographer. 

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The family have asked for the public to respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Many peoples hearts are broken and saddened to hear the news from Hip Hop fans, Hip Hop stars, fellow photographers and the many people that came across Chi Modu and were inspired. 

Nigeria-born and New Jersey-raised Chi Modu started his photography career as a student at Rutgers Unversity in New Jersey. It was recently after his time studying that he began working at The Source. The Source is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine. It is the world’s longest-running rap platform and was originally founded as a newsletter in 1988 so its history is rich. Chi Modu was a huge part of what made the magazine a success. Modu became the director of photography for the American hip-hop magazine The Source, where he shot more than 30 covers. 

Chi Modu built authentic relationships that were essential in making it in the business

He captured the core of Hip Hop artists in a way they had never been captured or truly seen in mainstream media at the time. Chi Modu worked with legendary artists that shaped Hip Hop and have influence till today, artists such as Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Snoop Dog,Easy-E and Queen of Hip Hop Mary J Blige. All of whom at the time were not famous but Chi Modu saw their talent and sought to capture them in a way no one else had done. 

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Chi Modu was a man for the community and advocated for the dignity and rights of artists especially in the Hip Hop world in time when it was needed the most and dedicated his life to this.

“I’m a people person, and to do good portraits, I think it helps if you’re a people person. I can talk to my subjects and get to know them to [a point] where they will drop all of the facades. Once you do that, the best picture you can take at that point is a portrait because then you’re getting to the essence of that human being, you know? That was always my goal. I rarely look at the surface of anything; I want to look and see who that person is. “

 Quote from Chi Modu for Beatroute