DJ Clue will add further heft to Def Jam’s December release schedule with his first official album in nearly six years. “The Professional, Part 3″ arrives Dec. 19. First single “Like This” was co-written and produced by Kanye West and features him alongside recent Def Jam signing Fabolous. The latter was been affiliated with Clue’s Desert Storm imprint since 2003.

Additional high-profile guests include Snoop Dogg (”Almost F***ed”), Young Jeezy and Juelz Santana (”F*** Off”), Jadakiss (”Ugly, produced by Swizz Beatz), Houston rappers Mike Jones and Paul Wall (”Grill & Woman”), Fat Joe and Remy Ma (”U Don’t Wanna”) and M.O.P. (”NY Giant”).

Clue produced six tracks, including “I Really Wanna Know You” featuring Jagged Edge and Fabolous, “Liberty Bell” featuring Philadelphia’s own Beanie Sigel and Cassidy, “It Was All Good a Week Ago” (part 1 features, Mario Winans, part 2 boasts the Game and Mario) and “The Gold” featuring Mobb Deep.

The last edition of the “Professional” series was released in February 2001 and has sold 882,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Jonathan Cohen