Why are Tupac and B.I.G. considered Icons and Legends?

I mean they both were arrested several times, (2pac for sodomy and molestation ( which he was the found guilty for) and B.I.G. for selling cocaine) And involved in gangs. I don't understand why they're so important. Hell, even Michael Jackson didn't have such a bad track record! Yet Michael is the one people are calling "pedo" and these guys are hailed as legends. Can someone explain to me why?