The cosign is one of the most powerful yet least talked about ingredients for success in the music industry. It’s been shaping career trajectories since Quincy Jones. It’s never been more important than now, as hip-hop becomes saturated with newbies. In the words of Weezy, “Where the hell did all these new pussy rappers come from?” With everyone and their weed carrier trying to pick up the mic, new artists need established artists to throw their weight and dollars behind them.
Can you name one rapper that blew up within the last 10 years without a major cosign? Go ahead and chew on it, I’ll wait. I’ve had this discussion with numerous friends and no one seems to remember the last time an artist made a big splash without a cosign.
Dame Dash and Irv Gotti cosigned Jay-Z. Jay cosigned Kanye. Kanye cosigned John Legend. John Legend cosigned Estelle. And so on…
In fact, the last time anyone in the hip-hop community had significant success solely on the strength of their own work was in 2004. Remember the Grey Album? Danger Mouse’s claim to fame was a mashup album that merged Jay’s Black Album vocals with Beatles beats. Driven by its refreshing quality and fueled by the web, DM would go on to become a Grammy-winning, chart-topping, sellout-crowd performing artist in just 2 years. The funny thing about Danger Mouse’s rise to prominence was that he didn’t alter his sound much at all. He’s always colored outside the line, but no one noticed. His beats on Gemini’s Ghetto Pop Life were just as ill as the Gnarls Barkley projects, but he could only dream of the level of success that would follow years later.
I’m constantly reminded of the power of the cosign each time I see an incredibly talented artist bubbling under the radar.
