Professional 3
One of the handful of DJs to make the jump from mix tapes to the major labels, DJ Clue? hooked up with Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records camp in the late '90s, then later created his own camp, Desert Storm Records. The Queens native built his reputation with street-level mix tapes and quickly became one of the city's leading DJs, graced with the latest tracks by the biggest names. Jay-Z invited him to join forces with Roc-a-Fella, who released Clue?'s major-label debut, The Professional (1997). The album featured primarily exclusive tracks, each boasting one of New York's top rappers, everyone from Nas and Mobb Deep to DMX and Ja Rule. A second volume followed in 2000, and in the meantime Clue? toured with Roc-a-Fella in support of Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life album as documented on Backstage (2000). He then embarked on his own path, establishing Desert Storm Records by debuting now platinum rap artist, Fabolous, in 2001. DJ Clue is the only DJ to have ever sold over 1 million units and earned an RIAA Platinum album certification.