DJ Clue

A prominent figure in the world of New York City hip-hop, DJ Clue was born Ernesto Shaw on January 8, 1975. The son of Jamaican and Panamanian immigrants, he grew up in Queens, New York, where he began his career as one of the city's best-known mixtape DJs. After founding his own record label, Desert Storm, in February 1995, DJ Clue was hired by New York City's leading hip-hop station, Hot 97, as a radio DJ. The high-profile airtime earned him the attention of Jay-Z, who signed DJ Clue to Roc-A-Fella Records and released his debut album, The Professional, in December 1998. Featuring cameos by DMX, Nas, Missy Elliott, and other hip-hop heavyweights, the album went platinum, peaking at Number 26 on the Billboard 200 and Number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The song "It's On" became a Top 40 R&B hit that same year. DJ Clue joined the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour with several Roc-A-Fella acts and appeared on the tour's soundtrack album, Backstage: A Hard Knock Life, which went gold in 2000. One year later, The Professional 2 topped the hip-hop charts and earned its own gold plaque, even though the album's lone single, "Back 2 Life 2001," failed to make it into the Top 40. After releasing The Professional 3 in 2006, DJ Clue focused predominantly on mixtapes, singles, and his usual radio broadcasts, teaming up with Tru Life and Future to release "Last Night" in 2017. 2023 found the legendary DJ collaborating with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label and Puma on the mixtape Humble Soles, which featured guest spots by Reuben Vincent, Vic Mensa, Rapsody, RJAE, KenTheMan, HDBeenDope, and Kalan.Frfr.