Before his death, I wouldn't even say Nipsey was more popular than Schoolboy Q.
Schoolboy Q had moderate success, some collabs with major artists, and had dudes raving about his albums Oxymoron and Blank Face. He also did that collab with Macklemore which was a hit. In fact, I've seen Schoolboy Q get mentioned and shown love on rap forums and blogs way more than Nipsey even when Victory Lap came out.
So, whether Nipsey was "known" or not is subjective but it also begs the question: Is Schoolboy Q today "well known" or a household name? I would say no. Pretty much just hardcore rap fans know who Q is and there's many casual rap fans who don't know much about him other than being associated with TDE/Kendrick.
Nipsey was semi-known in rap circles prior to death but he never crossed over and became a guy that people outside rap or even most casual rap fans knew about. You would have to be really in tune with hip hop(especially West Coast rap) to know about Nipsey Hussle and his music career. Victory Lap showed that his stature was growing but it still wasn't enough to make him truly "known" outside rap forums and blogs.
But, like I said, it all depends on what you mean by "known."