Beyoncé has just released the first new song from the sessions leading up to her upcoming fifth solo album. Though there's no guarantee it'll arrive on the LP, "Bow Down/I Been On" is the first new music fans have heard from Bey since the release of her 2011 LP, "Four."
Produced by Hit Boy, the track is a far cry from the triumphant, glistening pop most are used to hearing from Beyoncé. Instead, it's a gritty, Houston rap-tinged track that features an empowered Bey growling, "Bow down, bitches" on multiple occasions. In another line, she's possibly referencing the shadow of Jay-Z: "I took some time to live my life, don't think I'm just his little wife."
It's an odd sampling, though, as the track only uses Beyoncé's signature vocal technique through the first minute before it devolves into a menacing, pitched-down rap that sounds more like a Hit Boy mixtape track. The California-born producer is best known for producing his like Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Ni**as in Paris," West's "Clique," and Lil' Wayne's "Drop the World."
Beyoncé kicks off her Mrs. Carter World Tour June 28 in Los Angeles.