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''The Professional 2'' is the second studio album by American record producer
DJ Clue Ernesto Shaw (born January 8, 1975), better known as DJ Clue, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, radio personality and record executive. Early life DJ Clue was born in Queens, New York City to Panamanian and Jamaican immigran ...
. It was released on February 27, 2001 via
Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. History 1994–2000: Formation ...
, a division of UMG's
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...
. It serves as a sequel to his 1998 debut studio album '' The Professional''. Recording sessions took place at
Right Track Studios Sound on Sound Studios, formerly known as MSR Studios (Manhattan Sound Recordings) is a photography and movie producing company recording facility in Montclair, New Jersey. Its forebear, MSR Studios, was located in Manhattan, just outside Times Sq ...
, at Soundtrack Studios, at Baseline Studios, at
The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...
, and at Desert Storms Studios in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, at McClair Digital Studios in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, at Black Friday Recording Studio in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, at Enterprise Studios and at Larrabee West Studios in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, at 4 Stars Recording Studios in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, and at Mirror Image Studios.
Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
was handled by Ken "Duro" Ifill,
Rick Rock Ricardo Thomas, also known as Rick Rock, is an American record producer originally from Montgomery, Alabama and based in Fairfield, California. He is a founding member of the former rap group Cosmic Slop Shop and the Federation with fellow ...
, Bernard "Big Demi" Parker, Charly "Suga Bear" Charles, DJ Twinz,
Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
, Rashad Smith, Righteous Funk Boogie,
Rockwilder Dana Stinson (born February 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artist ...
, X-Treme and Clue himself. It features guest appearances from Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z,
Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg Po ...
,
Memphis Bleek Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper who was a protégé of fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. Cox started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016. He ...
, Eminem, Royce da 5'9" Busta Rhymes, Cam'ron,
Capone-N-Noreaga Capone-N-Noreaga (also known as C-N-N) are an American hip hop duo formed in 1995 from Queens, New York. The duo features East Coast rappers Capone and N.O.R.E. History In October 1995, Capone-N-Noreaga appeared in ''The Source'' magazine's " ...
,
Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and gang ...
, DMX,
Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
, Foxy Brown,
Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
, Geda K,
Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...
, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lady Luck, Lil' Mo,
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
,
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...
, Mobb Deep, Nas,
Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
,
P. Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
,
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...
,
Rah Digga Rashia Tashan Fisher (born December 18, 1974), known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, ''Dirty H ...
, Redman, Snoop Dogg,
The Lox The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop group from Yonkers, New York, formed in 1994. The group is composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. They had originally signed to Puff Daddy's Bad Boy ...
,
Trick Daddy Maurice Samuel Young (born September 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper from Miami's Liberty City. Early life Trick Daddy was born on September 27, 1974, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. ...
,
Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the most ...
, Ty Shaw and Bathgate. The album peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and number one on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on March 28, 2001, and according to Nielsen SoundScan, it has sold 882,000 copies in the United States. Its only single "Back 2 Life 2001" made it to #57 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
and #50 on the
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...
.


Track listing

;Sample credits *Track 2 contains a sample from " Back To Life", written by Paul Hooper, Trevor Romeo, Caron Wheeler and Simon Alban Law *Track 3 contains elements from " Who Shot Ya", written by Christopher Wallace,
Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
, Nashiem Myrick, Allie Wrubel and Herbert Magidsion, performed by Notorious B.I.G. *Track 4 contains a sample from "Thumb Tripping (I'll Be Moving)", written by Stephanie Black, Floyd Butler, Ray Cork and Harry Elston, performed by The Friends of Distinction *Track 6 contains a sample from "Share My Love", written by
Janie Bradford Janie Bradford (born June 2, 1939 in Charleston, Missouri, United States) is an American songwriter, most known for her tenure with Motown. With Berry Gordy, she co-wrote "Money (That's What I Want)", originally recorded by Barrett Strong, and ...
and
Gloria Jones Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul". She recorded the 1965 hit song " Tainted Love" and has w ...
, performed by Rare Earth *Track 17 contains a sample from "
I Shot Ya "I Shot Ya" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J featuring Keith Murray, from his sixth album ''Mr. Smith''. The remix version, which featured Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, and Foxy Brown, of the song was released as a B-side to " Hey Lover" ...
", written by James Todd Smith,
Jean-Claude Olivier Jean-Claude Olivier (28 February 1945 – 12 January 2013), often referred to simply as "JCO", was a French motorcycle racer and president of Yamaha Motor France S.A. from 1992 to 2010. He helped launch the careers of many famous French riders i ...
, Samuel Barnes, James Brown and
Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, " Think (About It)". A favorite ...
, performed by LL Cool J *Track 19 contains a sample from "Shine", written and performed by
Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...
*Track 23 contains a sample from "Incarcerated Scarfaces", written by Robert Diggs and Corey Woods, performed by
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...


Personnel

* Ernesto Shaw – main artist, producer (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 9-11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23), co-executive producer * Ken "Duro" Ifill – producer (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 9-11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23), co-executive producer, recording (tracks: 2, 9-11, 14, 19, 20, 22, 23), mixing (tracks: 2, 4-6, 8-20, 22, 23) *X-treme – producer (track 4) *Denis Tougas – recording (track 4) *Greg Below – recording (track 4) *Bernard "Big Demi" Parker – producer (track 5) *Karl "Bubb" Patrick – recording (track 5) *Kenneth "KJ" Deshields – recording (track 5) *Brian Garten – recording (tracks: 6, 9, 17), assistant mixing (track 6), Pro Tools editing *Paul Gregory – assistant mixing (track 6) *Dana "
Rockwilder Dana Stinson (born February 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artist ...
" Stinson – producer (track 7) *Vinnie Nicoletti – recording & mixing (track 7) * Ricardo Thomas – producer (tracks: 8, 12) *C.J. DeVillar – recording (track 8) *Tyson – assistant mixing (track 8) *Chauncey Mahan – programming & recording (track 12) *Shane "Bermuda" Woodley – assistant engineering (track 12) *Adam Duggins – producer & recording (track 13) * Dylan Dresdow – mixing (track 14) *Pat Viala – recording (track 15) *Charly "Suga Bear" Charles – producer (track 16) *Gimel "
Young Guru Gimel Androus Keaton (born February 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Young Guru, is an American audio engineer, record producer, disc jockey, and record executive from Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won a Grammy Award for Bes ...
" Keaton – recording (tracks: 16, 18) * Justin Smith – producer (track 18) * Rashad Smith – producer (track 20) *Tim Olmstead – assistant mixing (track 20) *Raymond Grant – producer (track 21) *Richard Grant – producer (track 21) *Mike Coach – recording (track 21) *Mike Hogan – recording (track 21) *Tommy Uzzo – mixing (track 21) *
Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to: * Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor * Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter * Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer * Thomas Coyne (cricketer) ( ...
– mastering *Skane – A&R, co-executive producer, management * Gee Roberson – A&R *Darcell Lawrence – A&R *Rick Patrick – art direction *Dawud West – artwork & design * Jonathan Mannion – photography * Damon Dash – executive producer * Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer *Shawn " Jay-Z" Carter – executive producer, vocals (tracks: 3, 12) *Deidre L. Graham – management * Chaka Pilgrim – management *Gizelle Galang – legal counsel *Jonathan Lieberman – legal counsel * Sean John Combs – vocals (track 1) * Mary Jane Blige – vocals (track 2) * Jason Terrance Phillips – vocals (tracks: 2, 6) * Earl Simmons – vocals (track 4) * Leslie Edward Pridgen – vocals (track 5) * Dwight Equan Grant – vocals (tracks: 5, 12) * Cameron Giles – vocals (track 6) * John David Jackson – vocals (track 6) * Jermaine Baxter – vocals (track 6) * Sean Divine Jacobs – vocals (track 6) * David Styles – vocals (track 6) * Rashia Tashan Fisher – vocals (track 7) * Trevor George Smith Jr. – vocals (track 7) * Corey Woods – vocals (track 8) * Dennis Coles – vocals (track 8) * Clifford Smith – vocals (track 9) * Marshall Bruce Mathers III – vocals (track 9) * Ryan Daniel Montgomery – vocals (track 9) * Cynthia Loving – vocals (track 10) * Calvin Cordozar Broadus – vocals (track 11) *Ricardo "
Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg Po ...
" Brown – vocals (tracks: 11, 12) * Delmar Drew Arnaud – vocals (track 12) * Malik Cox – vocals (tracks: 12, 18) * Stephen Garrett – additional vocals (track 12) * Maurice Young – vocals (track 13) *Katrina "
Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the most ...
" Taylor – vocals (track 13) * Nasir Jones – vocals (track 14) *Brian James – guitar (track 14) *Charlie Bereal – keyboards (track 14) * Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand – vocals (track 15) *Antoine "Larceny" Spain – vocals (track 16) *Jamel "Bristal" Fisher – vocals (track 16) * James Lloyd – vocals (track 16) * Kimberly Jones – vocals (track 16) *Lionel Evans – vocals (track 17) *Gary Anthony Grainger – vocals (track 18) * Kiam Akasi Holley – vocals (track 19) * Victor Santiago, Jr. – vocals (track 19) * Albert Johnson – vocals (track 20) * Kejuan Waliek Muchita – vocals (track 20) * Reginald "Reggie" Noble – vocals (track 21) *Paul "Muggs" Cain – vocals (track 22) * Shanell Jones – vocals (track 22) *Ty Shaun Johnson – vocals (track 23)


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


See also

* List of ''Billboard'' number-one R&B albums of 2001


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Professional 2, The 2001 albums Sequel albums DJ Clue? albums Roc-A-Fella Records albums Albums produced by DJ Clue? Albums produced by Rick Rock Albums produced by Just Blaze Albums produced by Rockwilder Albums produced by Rashad Smith Def Jam Recordings albums