TODAY IN HIP HOP HISTORY

DJ Clue released his debut album The Professional December 15, 1998.

Recorded under Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella label and Def Jam.

It features DJ Clue?(exec.), DURO (also exec.), Buckwild, DJ Scratch, Hangmen 3, Laze-E-Laze, M.O.P., Self, Swizz Beatz, V.I.C. on the production team.

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.