Representative Albums: "Backstage," "The Professional, Pt. 2," "The Perfect Desert Storm"
Representative Songs: "It's On," "What the Beat," "Queensfinest"
Biography
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. 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. Popular New York hip-hop station Hot 97 brought him aboard for a while in the late '90s alongside fellow DJ heavyweight Funkmaster Flex. 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). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Ernesto Shaw, (b 8 January 1975) better known as DJ Clue?, is a MixtapeDJ known for his involvement in the Mixtape circuit and for being one of the first DJ's not to mix songs in his mixtapes. He was signed as an artist on Roc-A-Fella Records. Clue is also known for dubbing both the song information and his name over each track on his mixtapes, usually in a distinct echoed voice.
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A native of Queens, New York, DJ Clue became fascinated with the artistry of Hip Hop back in 1989, when he (then known as MC Drama) was the front man for a local Queens rap group. It was in the midst of one of their intense practice sessions that Clue gazed over at his deejay’s turntables and immediately became enthralled - shortly after deciding that he’d rather add, subtract and multiply beats, and get the crowd’s undivided attention by making their eardrums dance to what he’s mixing. All it took was a pair of Linear-Tech DD 1700’s, two copies of Chic’s “Good Times” and heart to get started. Now, with a style as personal and established as his name, DJ Clue’s good times are indeed on the rise.
