2011 was filled with surprises, let downs and plenty of head scratching. If we wanted to, we could deem 2011 “The Year Of The Signing.” Freddie Gibbs to CTE, Meek Mill to MMG, Jhene Aiko to No I.D.’s imprint, MGK to Bad Boy, Sir Michael Rocks to Curren$y’s Jet Life Imprint, Stalley to MMG, The Weeknd to Drake’s OVO umbrella (I think that’s officially unofficial if that makes sense lol). However, it was these five signings that sent shockwaves, give or take a few ripples, through the hip-hop community. And the nominees are….

French Montana Signs To Bad Boy Records – This caught EVERYONE the fuck off guard. Especially with French’s frequent appearances around the MMG camp over the past couple months, one would’ve thought he was getting pretty acquainted with the camp. But then, during the Watch The Throne tour run, Angie Martinez tweeted a pic of French and Kanye backstage together stirring up another wave of rumors that the King Coke Boy was headed to GOOD Music. However, in a surprise twist, Mr. Montana ended up taking space over at Bad Boy headquarters with Diddy, Red Cafe, Cassie and Machine Gun Kelly deeming themselves as “The New Bad Boy.” Only time can tell if this was the best move for French.

Juicy J Signs To Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang – I’m not completely mad at this, but I do question it. Throughout 2011 Juice has been holding his own quite beautifully. In 2011 alone, Juicy released four successful mixtapes- two with Lex Luger (Rubba Band Business 2, Young Nigga Movement), one with DJ Scream (Blue Lean Dream) and the last with Project Pat and French Montanta (Cocaine Mafia). The two collaborated earlier this year on Wiz’s Cabin Fever mixtape and then met back up again on Mac & Devin Go To Highschool. And since TG isn’t cluttered and has a good amount of space to maneuver in, Juicy might be able to provide some insight to the Young, Wild and Free Taylor Gang crew.

Hit Boy To Signs To GOOD Music – Seeing how this dude made Christmas in Harlem seem so beautiful this time last year and some other undercover moves btw both parties, it was only right the California native hold court over at GOOD Music. Slapping a beast of a beat in the lap of Pusha T, and producing THE song of the year “Niggas In Paris” for Jay and Ye, this move will probably be more beneficial in 2012. We could see Hit Boy’s production land on Big Sean’s sophomore LP, Jay’s next solo opus, Pusha’s debut, Ye’s next solo outing and the much talked about GOOD Music group project. A GOOD year for GOOD music.

Wale Signs To Maybach Music Group – Personally, this kid took FULL advantage of this signing. And you have to credit Rozayfor making such a gutsy call. Not only did we see Wale shine on MMG’s first group project Self Made Vol.1, but the D.C. native took matters into his own hands with The Eleven One Eleven Theory mixtape, his Ambition Tour, a bevy of features, vlogs and of course his sophomore project Ambition. There’s nothing like getting a second chance at a first impression.

Busta Rhymes To YMCMB – Ugh. It hurt to watch/read that one. To this day I don’t agree with the move, but like I always say this isn’t about me…it’s about the people. No one can deny the position Young Money is in right now, that goes without saying. And it looks like Busta wants in on those celebrations. But how beneficial will this be for Busta? Of course it’s going to add to the arsenal Baby and Slim are building, but will things change for Bussa Buss? Will he take a backseat and have to wait his turn? Lord Knows. But if THIS doesn’t work? It might be time to call it quits…for good.

Ok, those are MY nominations. Of course you guys will have something to say about it but I welcome the challenges. Regardless, leave your feed back in the comments section and your selection for this years winner. Winner will be announced between Thursday and Sunday! GO!