Biggie is slept on for how dark and deep his music is. Tupac gets credited for being deeper than Big, but IMO Pac covered more social topics and emotions than Big, but Big was dark as fukk. He explored the psychology of a suicidal person who's still alive. He questioned whether his friends and loved ones would cry if he died. He discussed going to hell because of the bad things he did when he was alive. Ready To Die is a heavy album.
Joey Badass isn't crazy enough to say he's surpassed Big. I noticed young rappers take shots at Pac's ability to rap but don't do that to Big. Big is a rapper's rapper, and rappers know when another rapper is superior. Big's flow is still arguably the best rap has heard. Big got that NY bounce that makes me nod my head. He doesn't need a beat behind him to have a swing and bounce to his flow, his rap cadence naturally creates it.
NY rappers have been getting disrespected for far too long. I love West Coast rap because I was born and raised in California, and even I show respect to the East Coast's huge amount of great rappers and rap albums. When I think of classic Hip Hop albums I think of East Coast rappers.
I hope I live to see the day that MC's get recognized for how skilled as poets, speakers, and storytellers they are. fukk racism. I'll always love Hip Hop, to me rapping is the purist form of poetry and art.