Beyonce Goes Gangsta Rap on New Track "Bow Down/I Been On"
UPDATE: "Bow Down" turned into "***Flawless" for Beyonce's surprise new album, available now on iTunes. Check out our track-by-track breakdown of her self-titled fifth here.
Well, this was unexpected. Like Natalie Portman screaming "Suck my d-ck" on Saturday Night Live or Lady Gaga discussing "Cake Like Gaga," Beyonce goes gangsta rap on new track "Bow Down/I Been On."
The songs, produced by Hit-Boy and Planet 6 ("Bow Down") and Timbaland, Polow da Don, Sonny Digital & The-Dream ("I Been On") is either a radical new direction for B or, more likely, an experimental one-off. Hell, you can't be with the most famous rapper in the world for years and not at least try rapping on one song.
Bey opens the track by commanding, "Don't think i'm just his little wife" and repeatedly saying, "Bow down, bitches." Just to repeat: Beyonce repeatedly says, "Bow down, bitches."
Over operatic background vocals and glitchy drums, Bey pitch-shifts her voice down for the remainder of the track, using phrases like "Gold ass rangs," "Pop them bottles" and "Smack that trick." Just to repeat again: Beyonce raps "Smack that trick."
And if you're curious what the "Capital B" stands for, we now know it's "'Bout that life." Listen to the track below.
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