The famed photographer has shot everyone from Tupac to Nas, Biggie, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre—the list goes on.
JODI TAYLOR·SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
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Mention Chi Modu’s name amongst the hip-hop crowd and numerous conversations will reverberate around how he managed to capture icons in their most memorable moments. Biggie’s famous photo in front of the Twin Towers? Chi captured that. The black and white photos of Tupac smoking and playing with his bandana? Chi captured that. Nas posted up in his childhood bedroom? Chi captured that. To put it simply: you just can’t talk about 90s hip-hop without mentioning Chi Modu.
Born in Nigeria and raised in New Jersey, Modu watched his father behind a camera lens in his free time—often shooting family portraits on the weekends after church. When Modu was finally able to save up and purchase his own camera in college, he got to work taking self-timer portraits. After landing a gig at The Source in 1990, he began to make connections throughout the music industry. It was a time when hip-hop was in its prime and names like Snoop Dogg, Eazy-E, and Dr. Dre were just getting their start. We talked to the famed photographer about getting artists to trust him, capturing them in their most vulnerable moments, and the movie script he is currently working on.
BeatRoute: How did you know from the beginning that you wanted to shoot portraits?
Chi Modu: 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.
I exude a bit of warmth in their direction, and it determines what they give back to me a lot of times. It’s not a schtick, it’s my personality. I come with my arms open, and because of that, my subject can be vulnerable because they’re safe with me. I think that gave me an extra advantage with my portrait work….Continue reading here