Nelson J. Chu (September 16, 1976 – August 14, 2016), known professionally as DJ Official, was an American Christian hip hop DJ, record producer and songwriter. He was a member of the Christian hip hop collectives 116 Clique and The Cross Movement.
DJ Official | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nelson J. Chu |
| Born | September 16, 1976 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 2016 (aged 39) |
| Genres | Christian hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Turntables |
| Years active | 1999–2016[1] |
| Labels | |
Early life
editDJ Official was born Nelson J. Chu, in The Bronx, on September 16, 1976.[2][3][4] He lived in Brooklyn during his childhood and later in Amityville, Long Island.[2]
Career
editDJ Official was a mentee of Hip hop artist Cipha Sounds in the mid-1990s, when both got out of high school.[2] He was a member in the Christian hip hop collective 116 Clique. He released Entermission on December 29, 2009.[5] It allowed him to crack the Billboard charts with his first album.[6] Cross Rhythms rated the album a nine out of ten,[7] and Rapzilla said "With Entermission DJ Official did much more than cement his legacy as a producer."[8]
DJ Official was also a part of American-based Christian Hip Hop rap group The Cross Movement and collaborated with many other Cross Movement Records artist such as, Da TRUTH and Flame to name a few. He served (Cross Movement) faithfully as their DJ for eight years in the mid 1990s into early 2000s and has been a long time friend thereafter.
Personal life
editDJ Official was married to Teresa Chu (née Belvisi), and together they had two daughters, Isabella and Sophia.[2] They resided together in Lancaster, Ohio.
Death
editChu had a long-term battle with several health problems.[2] On August 14, 2016, Chu died of complications following a double lung transplant.[9][failed verification][10]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Chr |
US Gos | |||
| Entermission |
|
43 | 8 | |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Gravity: The Remix EP (DJ Official and Alex Medina) |
|
References
edit- ^ SoundCloud. "DJOfficialDJ". SoundCloud. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Prince Malachi The First (November 18, 2014). "116 Life : Interview with DJ Official". The Oracle Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ @djofficialdj (September 16, 2011). "What do Me, Flame, Lecrae's Son, Musiq Soulchild, Marc Anthony, Amy Poehler, and David Copperfield have in common. Today is our birthday!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 12, 2015 – via Twitter.
- ^ Intelius. "Nelson J Chu in Philadelphia, PA". Intelius. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ a b AllMusic (December 29, 2009). "Entermission - Dr. Official". AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b AllMusic (December 29, 2009). "Entermission - Dr. Official Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Hayes, Steve (March 11, 2010). "Review: EnterMission - DJ Official". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ Fenelus, K. Lenon (March 20, 2010). "Review - DJ Official 'Entermission'". Rapzilla. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "DJ Official Has Passed Away". 15 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Liner Notes: Bullet News For August 17th | FYIMusicNews". www.fyimusicnews.ca. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ Burns, Tyler (December 19, 2012). "DJ Official and Alex Medina Producing Gravity Remix EP". Rapzilla. Philip Rood and Chad Horton. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ "Lecrae x DJ Official x Alex Medina – Gravity: The Remix EP". Rapzilla. Philip Rood and Chad Horton. December 26, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2012.