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\n\tInfluential Chicago musician DJ Funk, credited with coining the term \u201cghetto house,\u201d has died at 54. The news was announced by friend and collaborator DJ Slugo, who revealed Funk\u2019s passing in a video posted<\/a> to Instagram on Wednesday (March 5). The news came just a few days after the the DJ\u2019s family started a GoFundMe<\/a> to help cover funeral costs after they said the artist born Charles Chambers was nearing the end of a long battle with stage 4 cancer. At press time Billboard<\/em> had not independently confirmed Funk\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \n\tFunk made his name as the pioneer of the ghetto house (aka \u201cbooty house\u201d) sound that bubbled up in his native Chicago in the early late 1980s and early 1990s, mixing spare drum machine beats with lascivious, sped up vocals on beloved tracks including \u201cWork Dat Body,\u201d \u201cRun\u201d and \u201cPump It.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBorn in Chicago on March 5, 1971, Funk made his name in the early \u201990s on a number of influential EPs for the Dancemania label (which he took ownership of in 2005), including the Street Traxx<\/em> series, as well as House the Groove<\/em>, Pumpin\u2019 Tracks<\/em> and The Original Video Clash<\/em>. His fame among hardcore house heads reached its apex in 1999 with the release of his first Booty House Anthems<\/em> album, which was followed by sequels in 2006 and 2013, as well as high-energy DJ sets at clubs and raves across the Midwest, where he would play his pitched-up, sex-themed songs at a rapid-fire pace, never lingering on any track for too long.<\/p>\n \n\tThough he never scored a traditional chart hit, Funk was gained global recognition in 2013 for his remix of French electronic duo Justice\u2019s song \u201cLet There Be Light\u201d on which he demanded \u201cI wanna see that ass bouncing\u201d over one of his signature hyper-speed beats and a minimal, hypnotic bass line. <\/p>\n \n\tHe was also given a prominent shout-out by Daft Punk on their 1997 Homework<\/em> album track \u201cTeachers<\/a>,\u201d where he came in as the second mention on the song behind fellow influential Chicago house legend Paul Johnson, and well ahead of some more well-known names such as George Clinton, Lil Louis, Kenny Dope, Dr. Dre, Jeff Mills and Joey Beltram.<\/p>\n \n\tFunk released dozens of singles, remixes and mix CDs over his nearly 30-year career and performed alongside such legends as Bad Boy Bill and Felix Da Housecat at the Out Cold indoor music festival in Aurora, IL in February 2024. <\/p>\n