A Different Kind of Drop: The Legendary DJ Clue On His Blueprint for Hip-Hop

In the sprawling landscape of hip-hop, few names carry the weight and influence of DJ Clue?. For decades, his signature “booms” and explosive mixtapes have served as the unofficial soundtrack to a generation. He was more than a DJ; he was a gatekeeper, a curator, and a tastemaker who broke careers and introduced the world to the next wave of superstars. He created a sonic dynasty that resonated far beyond the streets of New York, pioneering a format that would forever change how music was consumed.

From his iconic “Professional” mixtape series to his pivotal role on the Hard Knock Life Tour, DJ Clue’s fingerprints are all over the culture. He forged a sound that was both gritty and polished, a unique blend that captured the raw energy of the streets while hinting at mainstream appeal. He worked with legends at the height of their powers, from Jay-Z and DMX to Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige, and his collaborations often became instant classics. He wasn’t just spinning records—he was building a legacy, one tape at a time.

But behind the larger-than-life persona is a mind that’s always thinking, always innovating. I recently had the chance to sit down with the legendary DJ and producer, who appeared as my guest on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, to talk about his journey. We dove into the moments that defined his career, the business decisions that shaped an era, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. In this exclusive conversation, we peel back the layers on one of hip-hop’s most celebrated figures.

He revealed the true story behind the William “H” and William “M” Holla names, shared why one of his most beloved mixtapes felt rushed, and explained how a snowstorm helped turn one of his songs into a hit against his label’s wishes. We also talked about his favorite beats, what DMX was really like in the studio, and why he’s never worked with Drake.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a dynasty in a fast-paced industry, DJ Clue?’s story is a blueprint. Tune in to this exclusive interview on the Scoop B Radio Podcast to hear it all.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Clue, who is William “H” Holla  and who is William “M” Holla? 

DJ Clue: William H? The H stands for Hova which is Jay-Z and William “M” stands for “Manatti” which would be me. Random people get that confused all the time [laughs]

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Where did it come from? 

DJ Clue: I mean, obviously I was first William “M” but when we did a song together, he was like, “That s--- sounds fire…” So you know I gave him a little nickname type s---.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Do you have a favorite album out of The Professional mixtape series? 

DJ Clue: I mean, the first one is always going to be my favorite because that was the first look. That was the first album so that’s always going to be my favorite because that set the tone for everything else. But in The Professional 3, I feel like I kind of rushed out because you know, Def Jam and L.A. Reid was on our backs so we just put it out and it wasn’t really like… it was done but it wasn’t DONE, you know what I’m sayin’? Like I feel like that I could’ve done a little bit better job if I had time but, you know… It was what it was. Labels need billing. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: I enjoyed The Professional 2. It had crossover appeal especially with the Mary J. Blige and Jadakiss collaboration with the Back 2 Life 2001 song; it even appeared on the Belly soundtrack which tied into the crossover appeal. I know you like The Professional, but why not The Professional 2? 

DJ Clue:  Def Jam didn’t like that song but Lyor [Cohen] was like, “Listen. If you believe in it that strongly, let’s roll with it.” Because they were going for radio and kind of only had that week about 150 spins on the radio. And they were like, “Ahhh, we don’t know…” but I was like, ‘Trust me.’  And then the s--- came out and it was a blizzard on the East Coast and then it did almost 300,000 records the first week so, cool. It definitely was a February around NBA All-Star Weekend.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How pi--ed off were you when you saw your tapes and CD’s get bootlegged?

DJ Clue:  I got into plenty of fights and all kinds of s--- behind that, man. So like, I ran down on bootleggers on Canal St., Jamaica Avenue… all kinds of places and ran down on ‘em dolo! Ran down on ‘em and went crazy, you know? But it is what it is, man. I feel like that if someone is bootlegging your work is kind of like a form of respect in a way but, it is what it is, man. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: You made a triumphant return in the mixtape space back in 2015 with your Friday Night Freestyles. How did that come about? 

DJ Clue:  I mean, that’s just some s--- that really happened because me and Fab we did a couple of freestyles and we were just talking because Fab is like my neighbor and s---; so we were just talking one day outside and he was like, “How could we finesse this? We could drop one every week!” So we decided to drop one every Friday at midnight and we decided and dropped a freestyle and the s--- just went crazy! People were anticipating it and if I didn’t drop that s--- at midnight, people was blowing up on Twitter going crazy cursing me out like, It’s YOUR fault and this, that and the third… It was cool though. It was fun times, you know what I’m sayin’? Fab would just walk over and hop in the studio in the basement, knock the freestyle out and I would just mix it and put it out.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How did your relationship with Grand Theft Auto develop? 

DJ Clue:  They reached out to me. They wanted to put a station with some of my old mixtapes and my current mixtapes in the game as a station, you know what I’m sayin’? Because the ‘hood f---s with me so heavy so they just wanted to… you know what I mean? They were like, “Yo. We’re going to pay you to put a station on there.” 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: You entered the industry as a rapper, but you transitioned into being a DJ. Do you ever wish that you would’ve stuck to rapping when you first got into music?

DJ Clue: I don’t really feel like… I never feel like altering destinies is something that you should ever f--- with, you know what I’m sayin’? Like obviously, I used to rap and I’ve helped in the studio with songs with various rappers on my albums and on their albums and s---, and I’ve written songs but… and I’ve never even you know… even asked for credit or try to even take credit, you know? It’s just something that I feel like comes with the territory, you know what I mean? You’re in the studio with somebody and you can help them, you know what I’m sayin’? Why not help them? 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Who do you think your emcee presence compared to when you rapped?

DJ Clue:  I feel like that I had great ideas. I was like Special Ed or Lord Finesse and those types of people, you know? Back in the day.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Who were some of your peers when you were rapping? Did any of them become household names? 

DJ Clue:  To be honest, I never was in the rap circles like that. I mean, I did a couple of shows here and there in Queens, but I never really blended with other rappers like that. I was more… like I quickly went into the whole DJ lane because my uncle used to DJ, you know what I’m sayin’? My pops used to sing. He was a singer, you know? And so I always had music around me and my parents would have little parties and gatherings in the basement and s--- when I was young and I would see them with my uncle DJing and my dad with the turntables and records and s--- like that. So I saw it when I was young and then when I started rapping, me and Duro were like a little fake rap group [laughing], you know what I’m sayin’? And when we did that I always had the music in me and when I started driving, I kind of wanted always to have music in the car and I would buy mixtapes and I would feel like, they had some dope joints on ‘em but they wasn’t —- I would have to buy like five tapes and then re-record ‘em and make one good mixtape for myself. And I said, Man! If I make one good tape and it sold and all the s--- was fire all the way through, people would buy it! So that’s how the whole mixtape thing started with me. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: You’ve been in the studio with Biggie, Jay, Mariah Carey, Diddy and tons more. What artist had a work ethic that was comparable to a Michael Jordan, Tom Brady or Kobe Bryant? 

DJ Clue:  I wasn’t in enough Biggie sessions to even comment on him but, I know working with Jay he was always thinking. If he wasn’t in the studio, he was always —- if I remember correctly, when we would ride in the car going to the gym or something like that or wherever we would be going to he really wouldn’t be listening to the music. He would just be like nodding his head thinking. We would talk a little bit or be on our phones or two-ways and s---, but he would always be thinking of rhymes in his head, you know what I’m sayin’? Thinking of verses and then when we would go in the studio later on, he would already have the rhymes in his head that wanted to put to a certain song and s---.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was Jermaine Dupri’s work ethic like in the studio? 

DJ Clue:  Jermaine’s a dog, man! He was always on time with the music. When he first flew me out to Atlanta he had the studio in the crib and as soon as we walked in, he was like, “Let’s get to work!” It was no real play time, you know what I’m sayin’? Obviously after we finished we’d go hang out but, he’s like one of them dogs that once he has an idea and he’s focused, he likes to zone in and work hard, man.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was DMX like in and out of the studio? 

DJ Clue: X is funny, man! I mean, when it’s time to work, it’s time to work but, X liked to have fun, man. Like I remember one time when I flew to Canada and he wanted to work because I haven’t been hitting him up for s--- and he was like, and I thought that we were going to work the first day — we went to go play pool and just hang out and have some drinks and s--- and have fun. And then the next day, in the daytime we worked and knocked a couple of joints out. But we would need an hour. I got a lot of X stories as far as when he was out of the studio… X was a wild boy! [laughing]

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What are your all-time top five beats you’ve produced? 

DJ Clue:  That’s tough man. Top 5 beats of all time that I did? I mean, I did songs that were special to me like Keepin’ It Gangster was definitely one. Superwoman (remix) with Lil’ Mo and Fab. That’s definitely one. I feel like Heartbreaker with Mariah [Carey] was one of those ones. That one really helped me pivot in the production space I feel like. I feel like the one I just did with Lil Wayne, Loki’s Theme [from the Carter VI] was a fire joint; and probably Dope Man by Jay-Z. That’s one of them ones too, man. For sure. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What are some of your favorite memories from the Hard Knock Life Tour? 

DJ Clue:  I think my favorite memory from the tour was like it helped me as a DJ and as a producer early on going to different states and seeing how different areas react to different songs and they have their own s--- that they like, so it really taught me a lot about the DJ game and just seeing how after the first couple of cities I’m like, A’ight cool. Then you go to a city and they might not rock none of the same s--- that we’re rocking in New York so now it’s like every time I go to a new city I have to do my research before I get there and just know what songs to play. I remember I we were going to Houston to play and before Jay comes on I gotta f---in’ rock the whole stadium, you know what I’m sayin’? So I threw on some s--- and the whole stadium was going f---in’ nuts and Jay was like, “How the f--- do you know what to play? These are songs that the team NEVER heard! Like bro, what f---in’ song is that? You had the s--- going dumb!” So that s--- taught me a lot about the DJ game and producing music in general. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What would a Hard Knock Life tour look like today? Could it even be done? 

DJ Clue:  A tour like that? I don’t think it would be a tour like that with that many at the time, superstars. That would be crazy! Something might happen. I don’t know. That s--- might be OD. I mean, you gotta think about all the people that was on that tour. Like, it was LOADED, man. Like back then you had Jay and DMX who were two of the biggest rappers at the time. Then you had the LOX who was rollin’. You had Eve. You had me, you had [Memphis] Bleek and them… it was crazy bro. Beans and them… if you think about some of those names I just named and then you had Red and Meth? That’s LEGENDARY. You would need a MetLife stadium or bigger type s---. You would need 100,000 seats or something! 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: I remember Damon Dash having a conversation with you and the Desert Storm crew while you were on the tour bus about delegating responsibilities. At this point in your career, do you find yourself now having those same conversations with up and coming artists? 

DJ Clue:  Not really. Because obviously I’ve learned a lot and I’m lot older and I’m more seasoned, you know what I’m sayin’? And the game has changed so it’s like and I always tell people, Because I fed this generation, they want their s--- microwaved. They want their s--- right away. They want s--- to happen fast. It ain’t like that. The reason why we have so many one hit wonders is because they don’t want to put the groundwork in and they want to skip steps, you know what I’m sayin’? You got to take the steps, you know what I mean? Because there are so many records that come out nowadays. Like, everyday you probably have 100 records that come out whether if it’s online, whether if it’s on Spotify or Apple Music or whatever it is, you got records coming out and you got 90 different podcast episodes so it’s a lot of content coming out for one person to consume, you know? So if you want to stand out, you gotta take your time and put that work in.  Home cooked meals vs. fast food? I’ll take the home cooked meal for sure. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Is there anyone that you’ve wanted to work with that you haven’t? 

DJ Clue: I’m always saying that every time I see Drake, you know what I’m sayin’? We kinda have friends in the same circle. I’ve never done anything with Drake. No freestyles, no songs… so like he’s one person I definitely want to work with if given the opportunity, you know what I’m sayin’? And I tell people this all the time that I produce and I make beats and they ask me, How come you don’t sell your beats? I play s--- for people and people have their own in-house producers, you know what I’m sayin’? So it’s like it’s tough. If you want some s--- that’s gonna stand out, you gotta have something that other producers can’t do. As a producer, everyone has egos so it’s like, everyone’s gonna think, Oh I can do a beat like that. I can do something… so even if you hear something fire your team is gonna be like, Ah man! I can do something like that… So it’s tough, you know what I’m sayin’? And it’s business so, you can’t even get mad but at the same time, you know? That’s why it’s good to get your own artist and just go in the studio and lock in and deal with your own artist because that way it’s cool like it’s your own team and your own artist and you’re not competing with anybody else. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How have you not worked with Drake?

DJ Clue: That’s on him, you know what I mean? I sent some joints over through people to him so we’ll try to figure out something one of these days. Maybe he’ll feel one of the joints I did or whatever it may be, maybe. We’ll figure it out. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Are there any artists that you’ve worked with that you wished that you worked with more? 

DJ Clue:  I really liked working with Tory. Because me and Tory have a bunch of songs that we haven’t even finished so we got a bunch of songs in the vault. But he’s just fun to work with and he works fast and it’s never any egos, you know what I’m sayin’? We comin’ with some s--- together and we cook it up and it’s cool, you know? Open to ideas if you want to change this or change that; he’s one of those people that’s easy to work with and he works fast so you can have a two or three hour session and get five ideas done, you know what I’m sayin’?

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Does it bother you that Charlamagne tha God uses your “booms” on the radio? 

DJ Clue: The bombs? Yeah. I don’t care about that. We all work in the same building, all work in the same family… It’s cool, you know what I’m sayin’? I ain’t mad. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What other genres of music do you listen to besides hip-hop? 

DJ Clue:  I listen to [Robert] Spano sometimes, but I typically drive in the silent zone — because it’s like asking a basketball player. I mean, he doesn’t play basketball all day, you know what I’m sayin’? You play basketball when you get on the court and you might go work out but other than that, like, I can’t be productive if I’m listening to music all day, you know what I’m sayin’? I can’t listen to music and then go DJ because I’m not gonna say it gets confusing but, I’ll be like, I think I played this already… It’s just one of those things like, usually if I’m watching TV at the crib and if I’m not watching TV, I’ll do a beat. But when I’m just chillin’, I gotta chill in silence. You need time to think and time to decompress. You don’t want to be on the radio DJ’ing and then hop in the car and play music, you know what I’m sayin’? Go to the club DJ’ing and then hop in the car listening to music. That’s TOO much.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What did you make of the New York Knicks last year and what are you hopeful for this season?

DJ Clue:  I think their last season was alright. I think the Knicks need a couple more pieces — like, they need a certified big man or two, you know what I’m sayin’? They need a true center. I feel like that they’re in a very good place but they could use one or two more good pieces to push them over the hump. Like, I think [Donte] DiVincenzo was the perfect piece for them but obviously they had to trade him to get other people but, he played defense, could hit a 3 for you and in that way when [Jalen] Brunson got the ball on his side, they can’t double because if they double DiVincenzo spreads the floor and if you double, you’re gonna pay with a 3. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Dante DiVincenzo was the heart and soul of that team prior to the KAT trade. I was disappointed that they traded him because they missed him at points during last season.

DJ Clue:  And that poses a hard one for them because it’s like… to find a guard that can handle the ball, play defense, score, shoot the three, smart player, good passes… that [basketball] IQ is hard to find. 

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: There are many people from the Desert Storm crew that are still active. Have you thought about doing another Desert Storm project? 

DJ Clue:  Oh yeah, I wouldn’t be against it. We just have to figure out what emcees — obviously Fab is still actively rapping; Joe Budden is in the podcast space and he’s doing his thing doing well, you know what I’m sayin’? Paul Cain ain’t really doing music right now, he’s just chillin’ so it would depend I would have to put a fire squad together.

A True Professional: The Legacy and Future of DJ Clue