DJ Clue ^Featured

One of the handful of DJs to make the jump from mixtapes to the major labels, DJ Clue? hooked up with Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records camp for a bit in the late '90s, then moved on to his own camp, Desert Storm Records. Rappers Fabolous, Ransom and Paul Cain are among the artists with Desert Storm Records.

The Queens native built his reputation with street-level mixtapes and quickly became one of the city's leading DJs, graced with the latest tracks by the biggest names. He's known for being one of the first DJ's to not mix songs in his mixtapes. Clue is also known for dubbing both the song information and his name over each track on his mixtapes, usually in a distinctively echoed voice.

Popular New York hip-hop station Hot 97 brought him aboard for a while in the late '90s alongside fellow DJ heavyweight Funkmaster Flex. In 2006, he left Hot 97 for its rival station Power 105 where he remains today. The air time furthered his reputation, and Jay-Z in turn invited him to join forces with Roc-a-Fella, which 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 parted ways with Roc-a-Fella and embarked on his own path, establishing Desert Storm Records and debuting Fabolous in 2001. Years later, once Jay-Z ascended to the position of president of Def Jam, Clue? recorded The Professional, Pt. 3 (2006).

Clue was hired to produce remixes of three of Mariah Carey's most recent and biggest hits: "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", and "Don't Forget About Us". He subsequently had a featured DJ role in Carey's 2006 The Adventures of Mimi Tour. Back in 1999, DJ Clue has produced the extremely awaited Heartbreaker Remix featuring Missy Elliott and Da Brat for Carey's '99 album Rainbow.