Last night, the entire world of sports and beyond sat and waited for LeBron James to announce where he would play basketball for the next few years. His free agency courtship by multiple teams had been in full swing for a week, and in the works for a couple years. There was a chance one of the game's best players would be changing teams—and the landscape of basketball—in one moment (and he did—stop hatin').

Hip-hop, as well, has had its watershed moments that have been waited on by the masses. Signings, verdicts, beefs... Here's how they went down, and what could have happened had they turned out differently. —Compiled by Calvin Stovall, Vaugh Roland, Aleia Woods, Amber McKynzie and Emmanuel Maduakolam

Snoop Dogg Murder Trial Verdict
In 1993, a year after his instrumental involvement on The Chronic and just months before the release of his seminal debut Doggystyle, a young Calvin Broadus was arrested in connection with the murder of Philip Woldemariam. By the time the case went to court and a verdict was reached in February 1996, Snoop had become one of the biggest stars in the game, making the jury’s announcement of their verdict one of the year’s biggest moments. With a life sentence likely if convicted, the hip-hop world sat on pins and needles in fear of losing one of its greatest young talents in the prime of his career. One “not guilty” later, the court erupted in cheers, hip-hop let out a collective sigh of relief, and Snoop went on to become one of music’s most recognizable figures.

Snoop Dogg "Murder Was the Case"

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Tupac Assault Trial Verdcit
In 1993, Tupac and two friends were accused of holding a woman down as a fourth man sexually assaulted her in a New York City hotel room. Shakur was facing up to 29 years in prison if convicted; he was also facing accounts of aggravated assault stemming from allegedly shooting and wounding two off-duty police officers from an earlier incident. On top of that, Pac faced assault charges for slapping a female fan that allegedly was asking for an autograph. In November 1994, shortly before the verdict of this enormously important rape case, Tupac was shot five times and robbed at the Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. Days later, he rolled through the courthouse in a wheelchair and was found guilty on three counts of assault. Tupac was sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison on sexual an assault charge. After nearly a year in the pen, his bail of almost a million and a half dollars was posted by Death Row CEO Suge Knight, and Makaveli consequently agreed to release three albums on the label. If Pac had been sentenced to 29 years, or if he never became affiliated with Death Row, things in hip-hop in subsequent years could have been very different.

2Pac "Ambitionz Az a Ridah"

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50 Cent Signing
In the late 1990s, a young spitter by the name of 50 Cent began to gain the industry’s attention. He was working with Jam Master Jay and dissed every rapper you could imagine. He soon signed with Columbia Records, but was dropped from the label shortly after his now infamous shooting. Never one to go down without a fight, the Queens native soon was back at it, releasing mixtapes and again earning a substantial buzz. After rebuilding his status and starting a industry-wide bidding war, 50 signed with Interscope/Aftermath in 2020 under the wings of Eminem and Dr. Dre, earning a $1 million advance.  With the electrifying MC from Detroit and legendary superproducer behind him, 50 dropped a modern day classic and became a mogul in his own right overnight.

50 Cent "How to Rob"

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Jay-Z and Nas Squash Beef
Jay-Z and Nas had been jockeying in a two-man race for the King of New York crown since Biggie passed in 1997. The subliminal jabs escalated in 2001, during Hot 97’s Summer Jam, as Hov took an open shot at Nas on stage with what became his Blueprint album banger, “Takeover.” The God MC pulled no punches; the record was a straight up diss directed at Esco (and Prodigy). Nas responded with Stillmatic’s “Ether,” and the beef took on a life of its own, making fans sit on the edge of their seats awaiting every move and new response. More shots ensued both on song and in interviews. Hov took a break from rap in 2003, and the beef and his career went on hiatus. However, when Jay announced he was making a comeback with his “I Declare War” concert in 2005, there were rumblings of something related to the beef was going to go down. In the end, it wasn’t more hostility, but an olive branch, that was extended, as Jigga brought out Nasir to perform together. Nas soon signed to the Jay-helmed Def Jam, and the two recorded songs together. Rap hasn’t seen a beef with such heavyweights since.

Nas feat. Jay-Z "Black Republicans"

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Drake Signing
Before we could Thank Him, Toronto native Aubrey "Drake" Graham was the crown jewel of unsigned hype. The long biding for the former Degrassi star was filled with rumors and scenarios. The young MC was sought after by nearly every big-time label you can imagine; Atlantic, Universal, Interscope and Def Jam all wanted a piece. However, in the end, he chose Universal Records and remained allied with arguably the biggest force in hip-hop at the moment, Young Money. The signing was not only significant because of how many labels were after Drake, it was just as much the terms of the deal that raised eyebrows. The 22-year-old was given a $2 million advance and control of his publishing—both wildly uncharacteristic of the deals that rappers get in this current climate.

Drake "The Winner"

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