Bad Guy vs. Stan

[kpprasa]

Your Opinion and why.
IMO
You can rate a song based on:
wordplay & lyricism [BG]
content [BG]
originality (of content)[Stan]
flow (has an effect on wordplay)[?]
beat[Stan overall]
innovation (different than originality, its more focused on the details and such) [BG]
Therefore, using this method, at worst Bad Guy is tied with Stan- while at best it's slightly better
Implies that in my opinion Bad Guy is barely better than Stan (on average, since it's half of tied or slightly better)

So what do you guys think?

[4Corners]

Stan is a 10/10 classic, timeless track.

Bad Guy is a 9.5 really good track.

[Raul]

Stan is a 10/10 classic, timeless track.

Bad Guy is a 9.5 really good track.

[kpprasa]

Might be too early. hehe

[Ubb]

Must we compare everything? Can't we just sit the fuck down and enjoy Em's music? Just once?

[RSoares]

Stan.

But last 2 minutes of BG = Stan.

[Hopsinshadie]

Stan shits on bad guy

[kpprasa]

Must we compare everything? Can't we just sit the fuck down and enjoy Em's music? Just once?

I'm sorry that's just what I was thinking

@ Hopsinshadie- that's pretty harsh imo

[SliK]

Stan 10/10 classic genre defining song.

Bad Guy was a failed attempt at recreating its greatness.

[ShadyOnFire]

Bad Guy was a failed attempt at recreating its greatness.

failed? lol!

[kkaniff]

They both set out to do the same thing, they're both
- Symbolic of Marshall's unease with fame and serve as a little voice of reason/Marshall's conscience; the anti-Slim Shady, if you will
- Attempts at describing a psychotic break, extremely vivid storytelling songs with social commentary...
....
Bad Guy wins on the second point, On the first, Em prolly thought, "fuck all this subtext" and spelled everything out.
Stan is more subtle and chilling, a perfect work of art. Bad Guy is incredibly rich in detail and more immediate and grabs you by the balls.
It's also the most poetic Em has been in a loooong time.
.....
I cant say which is better 'cos Stan is pretty much flawless but Bad Guy is everybit as good.

[metsfan1121]

Bad Guy is a great song but comparing it to Stan is like comparing Lebron James (or more like Kyrie Irving) to Michael Jordan

[EminemBase]

"Stan", by far. No question.

Easily a more compelling work of art - in "Bad Guy", Em initially is describing things happening as Matthew as apposed to organic thought setting the scenes as in "Stan" and "Kim"... this is a much more pedestrian style which is what most rappers do...

Because of that, it can never be more amazing than "Stan". "Stan" always feels live, whether you listen to it now or 50 years from now, because it's the thoughts of the characters organically happening in communication and then live action...

It'd almost be like if Em rapped as "Stan" like... "I wrote the letter, in detail, I posted it - you never got back" as apposed to just naturally saying "I wrote you but you still ain't calling?". One is like a detached description, the other is a character communicating...

So it can never 'feel' more alive due to that.

The part where Matthew is yelling at Em and from then on is genius though. And it could have easily rivaled "Stan" if it were all in that kind of live action style.

That style is more compelling because it makes it seem as if the recording is incidental... the characters are just communicating as they would and it feels as if you're listening in on it... which is what makes it feel alive. In comparison, Matthew acknowledging the listener / that this is a song by saying things like 'I sneak vengefully' removes that effect, so now we know the character knows they are a character in a song. As apposed to them just 'living' their thoughts and actions.

[4Corners]

If he did that last part of the 3rd verse for the whole thing, it would have felt too much like a copy and paste job. I like how he was vague about who it was about, and then dropped the bomb in the 3rd verse all of a sudden that it was Matthew

[sbolli1]

well for nostalgia sake, very few people will ever admit that something new Em does rivals his old stuff.

Not saying Bad Guy is better, but the way we and really the culture in general have "Stan" permanently embedded in our minds will make it impossible for our mind to change its.....well, mind.

I think that in their contexts, they're both pretty much undeniably brilliant. You gotta give the man credit too. All these years and people are saying he should do a sequel to "Stan"/asking him if he ever will, and not only does he pull it off, but he manages to do it in a surprising way and easily makes it one of the best songs on the album.

Making the sequel to arguably your greatest song as an artist and putting it on the sequel to your greatest album. WHEW EM's got some fuckin balls man.