Does anyone else feel that Def Jam stunted the West Coast hip-hop scenes progress?

In the early-mid 90s, Def Jam set out to add more regional talent to their East Coast-dominated roster. Many promising and unsigned veterans were offered contracts as Def Jam aimed to spread their empire westwards - and later down south. A notable array of gifted mcs were signed to the label, such as Jayo Felony, WC & Richie Rich - from San Diego, LA & Bay Area respectively. By the early 2000s the careers & success of these rappers began to dwindle (with the slight exception of WC). I'm not blaming Def Jam for a decline in West Coast sales entirely - there were other factors - 2Pac's death, endless gang-related controversy & the remoteness of the states of Oregon & Washington. However, I do feel that it was an imminent factor - does anyone else agree?