Beyonce released a mashup of two singles from her latest album, “Bow Down” and “I Been On.” The song that has been collectively referred to as “Bow Down” and has managed to do what Beyonce does best–set the interest ablaze with criticisms and approvals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–Beyonce gives me a brand new emotion. While I appreciate her talent and often find myself screaming, “Yassssssss!” while she performs her hits on stage like no one else can, I’m not a signed-up Stan. And if you let those Stans tell it, it’s people like me who finds themselves on the receiving end of Bey’s warning to “Bow Down.” That’s fine. I hear the warning, but I prefer to stand.
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Beyonce has something to prove that she doesn’t think her countless Grammys, ASCAP awards and such didn’t prove. However, with no one really residing in her league, Beyonce’s hopeful point to gain the respect she thinks she’s missing, gets lost in a cloud of quotable social media updates.
https://twitter.com/spencercniemetz/status/314059990216368129
https://twitter.com/RaganGotEm/status/314059585868689408
https://twitter.com/WastedOn94/status/314059558702157825
Does Beyonce not realize that she’s number one, two, three, four and five in a list of the top women in music, right now (not of all time, let’s not get crazy)? Her shows sell out before tickets even go on sale and she is indeed the hottest chick in the game, so we’ve already bowed down to her greatness and I can’t see us staying down here much longer. Beyonce’s Stans can certainly take their rightful places at her feet.
But, here’s the gotcha–Beyonce is not only talking to the “haters,” she’s referring to her Stans too. These lyrics should make you wonder about Beyonce’s intentions:
“I know when you were little girls
You dreamt of being in my world
Don’t forget it , don’t forget it
Respect that, bow down bitches”
If you’re a Bey fan, you have probably had fantasies about hanging out with her–aka, being in her world. To those very same people who love Beyonce enough to dream of being a part of her world, Beyonce is asking you rather aggressively, to know your place and get there quick. And even after all of this, I still can’t figure out why. All I can think is, “How dare you Bey?” We’ve always loved and respected your work, so the last thing we need are instructions from you on how to properly worship you.
Even fellow R&B songstress, Keyshia Cole had something to say about Beyonce’s new-found street-cred:
I can’t lie–I agree with Keyshia. As a superstar, Beyonce’s platform is higher than yours or mine, so there are certain liberties she shouldn’t take and one of those is telling the world to bow at her feet. Being conflicted is one thing this wealthy King can’t afford. She wants us to worship her, but she also wants us to think she’s this angelic force of nature who can see our “halo.” This is also the same woman who brainwashed many of us into thinking we ran the world. Now she wants those empowered sisters to take a break from running things and take a knee instead. Which is it Beyonce? I know women are allowed to be multifaceted but this is more like multiple personalities. Bey is possessed with her own greatness and Sasha Fierce is out for blood.
Who is Beyonce so mad at, that she had to yell with venom in her voice:
“Respect that, bow down b*tches
I took some time to live my life
But don’t think I’m just his little wife
Don’t get it twisted, get it twisted
This my sh*t, bow down b*tches”
I respect Bey’s undeniable talent, but I don’t believe the image she’s trying to force-feed the world. Beyonce has always slung a message of sisterhood since her Destiny’s Child days and even as her solo career took off into the stars, she maintained a high level of respect as a business woman, talented artist, doting mother and adoring wife. Since her child’s birth, Beyonce’s been trying to convince us that she’s a simple girl, who’s in love with the man of her life and they’ve shared that love by having a bundle of joy in Blue Ivy.
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I believe she’s lost in a whirlwind of postpartum depression and she’s juggling all the balls in life she willingly picked up, while being one of the most iconic stars of our time. I won’t even pretend to understand that type of pressure, but from my seat, Beyonce’s struggling with accepting her own greatness.
Beyonce’s identity crisis is real and with “Bow Down,” she’s allowing herself to live vicariously, through herself by playing gangsta dress up. She’s seen her hubby, Jay-Z and other “hood” rappers do it, so now she’s decided to truly “rep her set” with lyrics like “Hold up, Texas trill/H-town going down, man” and “H-town b*tches, h-h-town b*tches/I’m so crown, bow bow down b*tches.” As soon as I heard Beyonce spew these words with fervor, I felt uncomfortable. I know she’s from Houston, so that makes her a country girl at heart, but Beyonce is not and has never been “trill.” I prefer my music honest and I don’t think Beyonce is being honest with herself, let alone, us–the listeners.
Beyonce seems to constantly demand respect, even urging us to refer to her as King, instead of a Queen. Is there not enough respect in the title Queen? Beyonce has it wrong. We have always respected and even revered her as an artist, but she doesn’t seem to think so. It’s like she wants to chastise us, by telling us to “bow down.” She’s taken a page out of the Book of Kanye and publicly expressing disdain for everyone. This PSA of a single isn’t the best way to handle “haters.” Did you listen to instructions and bow down?
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