A native of Queens, New York, DJ Envy, then called DJ Shrimp, was tutored and mentored by neighborhood acquaintance DJ Clue?, who introduced him to the mixtape circuit in the mid-1990s. DJ Clue hired DJ Envy as his gardener in 1991; while planting flowers, Envy would beat box. DJ Clue was impressed and took him under his wing. He quickly climbed up the ranks, and by the early 2000s he was peddling the latest commercials and exclusives for big-name rappers like Hahflamez, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and The L.O.X.. Since his reputation was so esteemed, DJ Clue? signed him to his record label Desert Storm. In 2003, he released his commercial debut album entitled "".