Hillary Clinton’s air of inevitability is looking thinner every day. After an 11-primary winning streak and fresh off new endorsements from John Kerry and the Teamsters union, Barack Obama gained the support last weekend of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

At the very least, the news means Obama has earned the coveted BSE award (Best Simmons Endorsement). Def Jam founder Russell Simmons is indisputably a more desirable endorser than blood-spitting rocker Gene Simmons, wild-eyed workout guru Richard Simmons, or barking-mad rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons, whose rap sheet would make even John Gotti jealous.

But at most, Simmons’ endorsement serves as a clue to where John Edwards might throw his coveted support. As we reported last year, Simmons seemed poised to back Edwards before the former senator dropped out of the race. The two were seen schmoozing a number of times in 2007, even at yoga class in the Hamptons. (“He sweated like crazy,” Simmons told the New York Times last April, adding, “I talk to John Edwards more than I talk to anyone. He has said more things about the conditions we need to think about.”)

Simmons, who also founded the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, is a powerful and well-connected ally, whose praise should send even more young black voters toward Obama. But an endorsement from popular populist Edwards could tip a wide swath of voters—and vaunted superdelegates—to Obama’s side. If that happens, Simmons’ support could be one of the first chunks of ice to come down in an all-out Obama avalanche.

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