This is the first in which might, if people are into it, be a series of poll threads about “answer songs” - songs released around the same time, by artists with a personal or professional connection to each other, where one is responding to a song by the other, or both are writing songs about the same event or experience, or where both are directly addressing the other.
For the inaugural contest, I chose a pair of songs which actually feature the same artists on both tracks - Emimen and Rihanna - and were composed simultaneously. Both numbers are about a dysfunctional, abusive relationship, which is something both performers have firsthand experience with, from very different perspectives.
I ask you to pick which of the two songs you like better overall - in terms of musicianship, lyrics, quality of performance, the degree to which you feel the singer’s pathos, whatever qualities you may believe decides what makes a superior song.
For your convenience;
Eminem w/ Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie, Part 1
Rihanna w/ Eminem - Love the Way You Lie, Part 2
I look forward to finding out which one the Teeming Millions prefer.