Dead Prez doesn't count because they had a chanting chorus? Xzibit doesn't count because he had a Dre-co sign (never mind the 200-300k fan base he had already built up prior to working with Dre)? Those seem like big reaches to prove your point. Redman had no biggest hit during that era but he still managed to sell a decent amount of records. Some of the reasons that you pointed out come across as just nitpicking to try and make your point. Like with most artists in all genres it's never just one thing that helps an artist to have some level of success. It's usually a combination of things at the same time so I don't see why you would