We asked and you answered. Who's the biggest cosign in hip-hop? The results are from a 7-day poll conducted on @A3C twitter. #A3Cpolls is a series where we ask the hip-hop community questions that we want to get answered.
We know that hip-hop is an ever changing landscape and the results of this poll will likely change week to week. With that said, we picked 4 of the biggest cosigns from 4 different regions, and Dr. Dre had a pretty overwhelming victory. Here are 3.5 likely reasons why.
Dr. Dre...
... has been around the longest. Thus has respect from old and new heads.
... is responsible, in part, for the careers of Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop and many other hip-hop superstars.
... is a successful business man and is respected on (making music) and off the field.
... could beat up any of the other three fairly easily. He actually might be able to beat up the other three combined.
Up-and-coming artists are always seeking support and endorsements from hip-hop's elite, and that will likely never change. The right cosign can open more doors in one day, than years of hard work. Fans, media and industry think that IF an icon loves/likes an artist, that they MUST be something special. And altough that is the case sometimes (and we haven't run the numbers) I would imagine that more often than not, "official cosigns" end up offer a boast of media attention and then die out. That being said, we can trace the rise of many of today's biggest artists (including Drake & Kanye) to a cosign (Lil Wayne & Jay-Z respectively) that helped compel them to new hights.
If you are an up-and-coming artist, are you thinking about getting a big cosign? Do you have a strategy to get your music in the right hands? IF not, why not? Do you think cosigns are important for an rising artist?
Food for thought.
#A3Cpolls are meant to be fun, but also offer some insight into the minds of the hip-hop community.