While some of the rappers you mentioned were noticed in the blogosphere, the point is that they didn't remain unsigned. That is a big difference. Drake did not

While some of the rappers you mentioned were noticed in the blogosphere, the point is that they didn't remain unsigned. That is a big difference. Drake did not become a household name until signing with Cash Money. Kanye West was actually the opposite. He was in the music business and had a lot of connections for quite awhile before going solo. The internet just helped to make him more popular as a solo artist.