Legendary Hip-Hop Photographer Chi Modu's Untold Stories of Tupac, B.I.G. and Others
“You can hear the music, but it’s really through the pictures you can see it.”
If you’ve seen a photo of the following artists from the ’90s and early 2000’s and thought “damn…”, it’s very likely the photo was shot by longtime hip-hop photographer Chi Modu.
Tupac, Biggie, Wu-Tang, NWA, Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg and Nas are just a few of the names captured by the renowned photographer. Having long been a photojournalist for The Source, Chi chronicled the lives of the most recognizable rappers of our time –- many of which he documented long before the fame and fortune.
We spent some time with Chi around New York City –- where most of his photos take place –- to gain more insight on his role as a hip-hop documentarian. During our time, we not only heard stories from the golden era of hip-hop, but were blessed to witness the connection and camaraderie between the photographer and his life-long friends/subjects. Just one month before the untimely passing of Prodigy, we followed Chi backstage at Mobb Deep’s last show in their hometown of New York City where the duo shared candid stories and reminisced on their past shoots together.
Watch the video above to catch a lasting look at Mobb Deep and to hear more stories from hip-hop’s most iconic photographer.
