Love L, but Big L died as an underground rapper, Pop Smoke died as a star. Death elevated both of them, but Pop Smoke's trajectory was already set.
People will get mad but yes he was definitely more influential.
Big L you could argue had some influence on the late 90s/early 00s mixtape scene but Pop was a legit star.
Yall use the word "star" very loosely. He had the New York stimulus which causes some of yall to believe he was hot like that everywhere. They both were local sensations. Big L was far less of a local sensation because New York actually had real stars back then and were less desperate for anyone to pop,no pun intended.
Id actually say outside of New York,Big L got the much better posthumus rub if we keep it a buck. I remember people being put on to him after he died and legitimately becoming fans.
Not sure how you dismiss big Ls influence on punchline rap. I dont even know how much influence he actually had. But i know to many outsiders he was one of the gateways into punchline rap. And when you heard the term "punchline rap" he was considered one of the pioneers. His posthumus star rose more than Pops did which should kill this argument.
It was a phony movement built on hope. Which is why when he died,there wasnt much mourning. It was moreso "Okay,he dead so who else can we put out front to keep this thang rolling and bring New York back
?"
Big L was discovered posthumusly,but for the fans who found him it was more authentic than many of Pops fans
