I was just listening to some of L's freestyles and got reminded of how cool him and Em are, and while I think that Em is the better rapper, L is right behind him in couple of aspects:
Flow/Voice - These guys pretty much have the smoothest flows ever and they are both characterized with voices that pierce through the speakers. I'd actually put Mos Def at #2 when it comes to flow and delivery, but thing is that Em and Big L have the best enunciation skills. Em (in his prime) and L always sound extremely clear regardless the pace and volume.
Sense Of Humor - Em and Big L are the only rappers that have made me laugh on constant basis. Em is more of a witty guy with a nonchalant delivery, while L set up his punch-lines with perfection and relied more on being offensive. Of course, they both excel at the "being pissed off" delivery and a lot of their lines sound funny as fuck just because they would get so tensed when saying them. Like with L, in the famous '98 freestyle, other than the Beavis & Butt-head/but head line, he adds that "If my girl thinks I'm loyal then that bitch is a fool", which is just hilarious.
Freestyles - When it comes to freestyles (yeah, the written ones), L and Em (SSLP era) are kinda the most exciting rappers. They took great pride in the quality of their verses and were very serious about them. With most MCs, when they drop a freestyle, it's like for the sake of it, and the radio hosts usually don't get involved, but with Em and L, there are a lot of sessions when the hosts burst out laughing all the time. And when you hear that in the background, and with the fact that L and Em would remain serious, it just adds to the fun and the atmosphere surrounding the session. And say what you want about Complex, but it's no coincidence that L and Em took the number 1 and 2 spots on their list of best freestyles.
Rhyming - These two are also the best rounded rhymers. Their mutlies are rarely forced and seem to blend in with the rest of the verse perfectly, and they're just a subtle detail rather than the focus of the rap. And again, I'm talking about prime Em here. They also took mutlies to the next level in comparison to the rappers from their eras.
This is just my opinion of course, but I don't think that anyone would disagree that Em (especially around 1998-1999) and Big L would've made a perfect duo.
