just like Nirvana, Big did come in with his own style and was accessible from the start thanks to Puff's marketing.

and while Big was dope and did what he did well, he opened up a lane for every MC after him to try to go down and let's just say that lane has led us to the super commercial bullshit that we see now.

I do put more blame for that on Puff but Big was the face. So I can't say he didn't bring anything to the genre, but I can say that doors he opened didn't lead to a good place.

and in my opinion, he was never the greatest. Back in 94 there were so many dope artists and even on Ready To Die, people were still placing Meth in that spot which makes his guest appearance so dope.

and you had Nas, AZ, Mobb, the entire Wu and many more MCs who were loved just as much as Big in regard to the skill level. It just so happens that Big had the most success which made him more easy to crown by people who weren't really even hip-hop heads.

and by the time LAD dropped, which most hip-hop heads thought was decent but WAAAAY too commercial, the line had really been drawn in the sand.

add him passing and Puff and Jay shouting from the hilltops that Big was the GOAT and you get everyone and their moms saying he's the best ever which really was never the case.

so yes, he was dope and he did have his own style but he was not head and shoulders above anyone.