By Tracy Clayton
Beyoncé leaked some new music Sunday night. The Internet whipped itself into an instant frenzy and has been there ever since. The track is a snippet of two songs, entitled “Bow Down” and “I Been On”; it gives us an even fiercer Sasha Fierce — bold, arrogant, cocky, and gasp — cursing!
It’s a side of Beyoncé that we aren’t used to seeing, and some of us aren’t dealing with it very well. It’s kind of like when we discovered that Judy from “Family Matters” was up in her room making porn this whole time — it’s kind of a shock. “Bow Down” features Bey with the haughty bravado of your favorite rapper, shouting out her native Houston before the lyrics come in. In it, she addresses her haters, growling “Bow down, bitches … this my shit.” The homage, and cursing, continues on “I Been On,” a bass-heavy chopped and screwed cut that is so Houston, you just might get up and get yourself some gold teeth afterward. Some note that she sounds a bit like Kanye, spitting about “gold ass rangs” and “gold ass chains” and poppin’ bottles in the club.
I will admit that it took me some getting used to. While I’m not a rabid fan, I definitely love Beyoncé’s music. It was odd to hear her demand for herself the adoration that is already given so freely — and I didn’t like it. It was too much. It demolished the line between confidence and conceit, and while it didn’t keep me from dancing (those are some cold ass beats, after all), it turned me off.
And I wasn’t the only one. Though most of my twitter feed kowtowed and offered their wigs willingly, there was a fraction that chose to stay standing, thank you very much. This eventually led to a discussion on whether or not someone can use the word “bitch” and still be a feminist.
And at the core of all this, in my humble opinion, is the Madonna/whore dichotomy — the idea that all women can only fall into one of two categories: sweet, virginal, and saintly, OR brazen, sexual, and wanton. This mode of thinking represses women by limiting their space and ability to be their full selves. The idea that we must be either this or that puts pressure on us to ignore the other parts of ourselves to become what we’re expected to be. Suggesting that Beyoncé isn’t allowed to be brash or have a temper or be less than perfect is insane and unfair. Humans are terribly complex creatures, and Beyoncé is human, no matter how easily we may forget that. I mean, who among us hasn’t had that moment of “Damn I look good!” before a night on the town? Let her be who she is.
With “Bow Down/I Been On,” Beyoncé is claiming some space to be her full self, staking out her identity (“Don’t think I’m just his little wife”), and celebrating her hometown roots in a homegrown style (chopped and screwed music originated in Houston). Swimming in her unchecked accent and reciting UGK lyrics, I personally think that this is Beyoncé at her most human, relaxed, and relatable. She doesn’t seem as polished, manufactured, and animatronic as she usually does to me, maybe because that manufactured version strips her of her natural grit and realness. Sure I was thrown off by it in the beginning, but I got used to it and dealt with it. And that is our job; when women define themselves, we have to deal with it.
In conclusion, Beyoncé don’t give a fuck. And good for her.
