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The Professional (album)

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The Professional
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 15, 1998 (1998-12-15)
Recorded1997–98
Studio
  • Alien Flyers (New York City)
  • Platinum Island (New York City)
  • Desert Storm (New York City)
  • Soundtrack (New York City)
  • The Hit Factory (New York City)
  • Krosswire (Atlanta)
  • Sound On Sound (New York City)
  • Source (Canton, Massachusetts)
  • D&D Studios (New York City)
Genre
Length1:14:00
Label
Producer
DJ Clue? chronology
The Professional
(1998)
DJ Clue? Presents: Backstage Mixtape
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert Christgau(dud)[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

The Professional is the debut studio album by American record producer DJ Clue?. It was released on December 15, 1998, via Roc-A-Fella Records.

Recording sessions took place at Alien Flyers, at Platinum Island Studios, at Desert Storm Studios, at Soundtrack Studios, at The Hit Factory, at Sound On Sound Studios and at D&D Studios in New York City, at Krosswire Studios in Atlanta, and at Source Sound Labs in Canton, Massachusetts. Production was handled by Ken "Duro" Ifill, Buckwild, DJ Scratch, Hangmen 3, Laze-E-Laze, M.O.P., Self, V.I.C., Swizz Beatz and Clue himself.

It features guest appearances from DMX, Fabolous, Big Noyd, Big Pun, Boot Camp Clik, Cam'ron, Canibus, Drag-On, EPMD, Eve, Flipmode Squad, Foxy Brown, Ja Rule, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Keith Murray, Lord Tariq, Made Men, Ma$e, Memphis Bleek, Missy Elliott, Mobb Deep, Mocha, M.O.P., Nas, Nature, Nicole Wray, N.O.R.E., Puff Daddy, Raekwon, Redman, R.O.C. and Styles P.

The album peaked at number twenty-six on the Billboard 200 chart, and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 27, 1999, and then went platinum on August 20, 2001, indicating US sales of over one million units.

Its sequels, The Professional 2 and The Professional 3, were released in 2001 and 2006, respectively.

Track listing

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All tracks are produced by DJ Clue and DURO, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Intro" (featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs)  1:02
2."Ruff Ryders' Anthem (Remix)" (featuring DMX, Jadakiss, Styles, Drag-On and Eve)
3:52
3."It's On" (featuring DMX)
 3:25
4."Fantastic 4" (featuring Cam'ron, Big Pun, Noreaga and Canibus) 5:09
5."Queensfinest" (featuring Nas)
Self3:26
6."Exclusive-New Shit" (featuring Nature) 3:08
7."Gangsta Shit" (featuring Jay-Z and Ja Rule) 4:38
8."Thugged Out Shit" (featuring Memphis Bleek)
 3:54
9."It's My Thang '99" (featuring EPMD, Redman and Keith Murray) 3:00
10."Mariah Carey (Skit)"  0:21
11."Whatever You Want" (featuring Flipmode Squad)DJ Scratch4:06
12."That's the Way" (featuring Mase, Foxy Brown and Fabolous Sport) 4:31
13."I Like Control" (featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Mocha and Nicole Wray) 3:48
14."Bitch Be a Ho" (featuring Jermaine Dupri and R.O.C.)
 3:23
15."If They Want It" (featuring Fabolous Sport)
  • Jackson
  • Shaw
  • Ifill
 4:02
16."Pain in da Ass (Skit)"  0:28
17."The Professional" (featuring Mobb Deep and Noyd)
V.I.C.3:39
18."Brown Paper Bag Thoughts" (featuring Raekwon)
 3:15
19."Cops & Robbers" (featuring Lord Tariq and Muggs)Buckwild3:26
20."Made Men" (featuring Made Men)Hangmen 32:41
21."No Love" (featuring M.O.P.)
  • M.O.P.
  • Laze
4:12
22."Come On" (featuring Boot Camp Clik) 4:31

Sample credits

Personnel

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  • Juan Allen – engineer (7)
  • Paul Arnold – engineer and mixing (20)
  • Tony Black – engineer (13)
  • Larry DeVoure – string arrangements (18)
  • Brian Fyre – engineer (14)
  • Ken DURO Ifill – engineer (3, 4, 6, 9, 11-13, 15, 17-19, 22), mixing (2-9, 11-15, 17-19, 22), keyboards (8)
  • Jay Groucott – assistant mix engineer (4, 18)
  • Fred Hedemark – assistant mix engineer (7, 9, 17)
  • Gal Karmi – assistant engineer (2-4)
  • David Matos – guitar (12)
  • Martha Mook – strings (18)
  • Lil' Rob – keyboards (3, 7, 8, 18, 22), bass guitar (11, 12)
  • Paul Olivera – assistant engineer (3, 9, 17)
  • Greg Pinto – assistant mix engineer (6, 13-15)
  • Vaughn Session – engineer (5)
  • Soundboy – engineer (6)
  • Steve Sounder – engineer (3)
  • Jason Stasium – assistant engineer (8, 11)
  • Patrick Viala – engineer (4)
  • Zach Wind – assistant engineer (18)
  • Carlisle Young – engineer (8), assistant mix engineer (3, 5, 12)

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Conaway, Matt. "The Professional - DJ Clue? | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: DJ Clue?". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Diehl, Matt (January 25, 1999). "DJ Clue: The Professional : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "DJ Clue 2 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ^ "DJ Clue 2 Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "American album certifications – DJ CLUE – THE PROFESSIONAL". Recording Industry Association of America.
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