Photographer Chi Modu has died

The news came via his Instagram account: On May 22, 2021, Chi Modu’s family announced his death. The photographer was 54 years old. While Billboard and The Source gave no cause of death, Musikexpress, citing TMZ, reported cancer.

From Source photo director to the enduring image

Modu was born in Nigeria and grew up in New Jersey. In the nineties, he was director of photography for the hip-hop magazine The Source and photographed, among others, Nas, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., and Wu-Tang Clan. His black-and-white pictures of a shirtless Tupac became, according to Billboard, “arguably the enduring image” of the rapper in the public consciousness; The Source also mentioned the shots with a bandana.

A year later, his estate battled the music corporation Universal over the use of one of these photos: Estate sues Universal.