Monday 18 March 2013

[New Music] Beyonce Commands You To Bow Down, With The Release Of Two New Songs!



For someone who usually likes to do things with a fair amount of hype, Beyonce sure did come like a thief in the night [no shade] with new buzz tracks, Bow Down / I Been On. Released on the star's Tumblr, the tracks hit the net without any warning but unsurprisingly, considering how thirsty people have been for new music from her, it's a tactic that has generated a huge amount of press. A smart move, it seems.

The songs themselves are interesting in that they offer us an insight into the direction Bey might be taking with her new album. I especially like the beat for the second song I Been on, which has already been featured as the backing on the adverts for her 02 concerts in the UK. The weird voice used on it, I'm not feeling so much, but as this is most likely just the song's outro I can't really judge it until I hear the full thing. As for Bow Down, Beyonce has never exactly been humble when playing alter ego Sasha Fierce- see Diva, Upgrade You, Check On It- but the boastfulness here is a little overwhelming. Honestly, I'm not sure I buy into it, but after the hazy, wishy-washy era Beyonce just had, I can totally understand why she's come back stronger and more bolshy.

I'll reserve full judgement on Bow Down / I Been On until I hear them in their entirety, but as of now it looks like Beyonce will be leaving the maturity of 4 behind for a spicier Sasha Fierce type album. This could turn out to be a risky decision, with a worse case scenario being it alienates her older fans while simultaneously failing to connect with the younger demographic- who these songs seems pitched at- who already have a more believable Diva with an attitude in Rihanna. Or, I suppose just as likely, it could turn out to be a genius move that revives Beyonce's sagging album sales.

But the real question is, after hearing these tracks, will YOU be bowing down to "King B" ?





Thoughts?

80 comments:

  1. I love these two tracks (are they two tracks or are they just a weird mashup-feeling singular track? are they actual tracks? is she just having fun? beyonce? beyonce? please?) - even though apparently she's released it in retaliation to all the press saying she is demeaning herself by calling her tour the Mrs. Carter Show, and that only identifying herself through a man (a ridiculous sentiment, considering the person everyone knows Beyonce is, and that the title is clearly just her expressing her joy at this new era of her life - being a mother and wife, on top of being a full-time recording and touring artist) - hence the line "not just his little wife".
    Anyway, as I was saying, I love them because I adore this genre of hip-hop - I'm a dancer, or used to be, and they're incredible for commercial hiphop and urban contemp routines - but I understand that they won't be as universally acceptable as Beyonce's usual glamorous and glistening pop cuts. I don't think this is indicative of her new album's content - she would've released it as a promotional track or something if that was the case. I think it was in retaliation to the press and an experimental output, which is what a fair few artists use soundcloud for.


    Oh, but, can I get a holla for that operatic head voice? So resonant, such a rich vibrato. Haha.

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  2. The operatic voice, is that her? I just assumed they'd got someone in for that as it doesn't sound like Bey at all. Has it been confirmed?

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  3. NEVER!!!!
    I will bow to no one but the one true god...of the Dobro!

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  4. Can't you hear Bey's tone in there? She's sang like that before, with a more legit sounding head voice. I can't find anywhere on the internet at the moment where Beyonce has flat out said "it was me singing the operatic part on my latest track and the O2 advert", but I don't think she would come out and say that unless there was a lot of doubt about it. As it stands, I can hear Beyonce's tone hardcore in there, especially on the top notes - her C6s are really distinctive. And every review website I've spoken about it on about her versatility - how, in one track, she sings an RnB melody, raps and then performs operatically.

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  5. I'm sorry, I'm a BIG Beyoncé fan but I really dislike these songs, the same way I really hate Diva and Upgrade U (even though I DO like Check on It, it's a guitly pleasure). I don't this songs will be in her album, I don't want them to be. This is a huge step backwards from the great "4". Even if her new album does not sell as well as "I Am" she sould not jeopardize her integrity as an artist for sellings. If this songs are just for fun, then it's OK, as longs as she does not release them as singles in any way.

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  6. I have my suspicions that this was the sound she was going for, but was sent back to the drawing board after it was heard by record execs. Could be wrong, but it might explain why no single was released after the hype of the Super Bowl, Oprah interview and her HBO doc.

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  7. This is Beyonce after I told her what you said. I hope you're happy with yourself!!


    http://25.media.tumblr.com/277cf49eab1982bfa3eff6881b071d2b/tumblr_mji43j0EuB1s4y35eo1_500.png

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  8. Oh yes it is Beyoncé. It is absolutely her.

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  9. The operatic vocals are her, it's fairly easy to tell.
    It's also the only good thing about this.

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  10. http://pbr352.photobucket.com/albums/r349/reddragon2_photos/thatssotrue_1553_1330065734.gif?t=1352468803

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  11. I love it I'm so Happy she is staying with R&B and Urban Pop

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  12. I'm in love with these two songs. Us Beyhive members have speculated that these could be the intro and outro to her new album, suggesting this is the kind of sound the album. Queen Bey can do nothing wrong in my eyes :')

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  13. I don't like the songs at all, but I do like the single art. It's a hot mess.

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  14. I thought it sounded like her...

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  15. Wow, I really liked these songs...very different from what I was expecting.

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  16. Interesting single art as well...

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  17. Yeah I dislike Upgrade U as well, but I really like these songs!

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  18. At first ear, I didn't enjoy it..... She needs to stay away from rapping if she can because I hate rap.....as for that gorgeous operatic b5... Why the hell did she layer it? I want to hear it in all its glory... Since I listened again, the song isn't so bad but I still have a guteral despise for self-boasting songs and this no different.... She could have went a different route....I would have loved to listen to her singing a genre she made herself using r&b influences or even rock....hip hop is where music is at for the intellectual crowd of some but this isn't going to cut it for me....this song doesn't scream lyrics that sat down for a few days even weeks to put on an album...she may have an attachment to this song personally but all I feel is alienation. It all boils down to the matter that r&b is dying slowly because the crave for soul music is being replaced for a craze for dance music and a growing popularity of intellectual music. Beyonce, I know you were in need of something new and fresh but this isn't it...

    ...Although I love the song...lol
    ...
    to put

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  19. Bey.... You know I love you. But this a hot mess. Her vocal delivery and performance is great as always, but the song itself is a disassembled mess. I pray to GOD this is not her first single, or a single at all. I hope this isn't a sign of whats to come on her next album.

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  20. I quite like Bow down, I like the bolshie cockiness, same way I liked it in Diva, Upgrade U and Back Up. Its not much cockier than what some of the males in the game (e.g Kanye West) come out with, and I don't think it would be quite as much of a talking point if a man said it...
    I like the backing to the second part, but I don't think I will ever be a fan of the screwed vocal, which is apparently a hall mark of the Houston scene... so at the least I get why she has done it.

    I herd a while back this albums sound was supposedly a mix of I am.. and 4's, which I'm guessing means she has tried to put together pop radio pleasers with more mature risky RnB which she really wants to make? I can't wait for it to drop..... and I can't wait to see her in concert in May!!!!!

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  21. I bow to no one but my god, the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

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  22. Lol have you heard the song?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97lYPqkfBig&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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  23. i.....am....living....for...that.....opera voice. serve it up Beyonce !. iv noticed these "fierce bitch" rap songs are coming from all directions these days ,gaga,bey,nicki and more . it seems all the recent shade has made all the divas feel the need to put each other and the fans in place but look at adele ....shes ruling the Grammys and isn't going about grabbing her crotch shouting "im the queen,im the queen so sit down". but anyway i love it and if anybody is gonna be a diva its Beyonce.

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  24. Wow YouTube is tearing apart these songs...

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  25. I actually hadn't.

    I'm a terrible pastafarian

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  26. We know that you need to get glasses and hearing aids. What else is new? :)

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  27. How incredibly pathetic of you using an anonymous account to post this. However, I'm not going to try to stoop down to your level of ignorance and argue with you, (whoever you are).

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  28. Lol who'd you piss off like that Arthur? Not even I managed to aquire ''fans'' like that. ;-)

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  29. Opie! I haven't had the pleasure of conversing with you in some time! And honestly, I don't know, I have my suspicions, but I won't accuse anyone because that's rude (could be you for all I know ;)). And as for the second part of your sentence... sure, haha.

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  30. Guess who's here to claim her comment ;)


    I originally posted that as a joke (couldn't help it, lol) but then realized how wildly inappropriate it was. I deleted it, but did not realize that it would simply become unsigned.

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  31. I hate to agree because I love this song.... lol but you are right.

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  32. Hahaha..Not me. I have just the one nom de plume.
    But I guess the mystery has been solved already. :-)

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  33. Talk about ''ugly music'' eh?

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  34. Well you've certainly built a reputation for yourself on this website. One which some people like, and others not so much.
    And it's becoming clear now, haha.

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  35. You were first on my list considering you posted a comment 1 minute before you made posted this, lol.
    And I got the joke, but didn't receive it very well. I also wish I responded on a lighter tone, haha.
    I admire you claiming the comment so much, I'll disregard that last little remark you made on my taste :)

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  36. Oh yes, but my haters just run to the mod when they get tired of being outwitted.

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  37. There's nothing wrong with your taste, it just conflicts with mine in some areas.

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  38. And there's nothing wrong with that.

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  39. You are an exceptional debater, a skill you sometimes abuse. There's a difference between arguing and attacking someone personally. Maybe that's why your haters complain to the mod.

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  40. Because they can't recognize that difference?

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  41. Well, it's a matter of opinion who exactly is confused as to the difference but I am not going to argue with you on that one. :-)

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  42. I mean, you can continue to do what you do. But a person has the right to complain if they feel attacked.

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  43. I have mixed reactions to this I mean Adele didn't need to resort to this cocky diva attitude and I always felt Bey was to good to stoop to the level of Miss Nicki Minaj. I mean this is Beyonce we are talking about I need to hear more material...........

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  44. You will never hear me say a person doesn't have the right to complain to whomever he so chooses. I am just saying I personally would fight my own battle or withdraw from the fight. And I have different opinions on the various other choices other people make. That again is my right. :-)

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  45. I don't disagree with anything you just said, it's a miracle!

    But to each its own :b

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  46. I surprised myself, I like it! It does smack of something 'out there' that Solange would come up with. Which makes me suspicious. I couldn't listen to it a lot though...I am pretty sure it would start to annoy the hell outta me lol

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  47. No... Just no. I don't even wanna waste time elaborating why,

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  48. Personally I love you....lol For some reason, you remind me of Hartbeat off youtube and I just can't seem to figure out why you do...BTW...She had the best harlem shake video... lol

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  49. Opie should be an attorney. It'd be her calling from Go...no the Universe..lol

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  50. Shes sung the original Ave Maria before in an operatic technique.

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  51. This sounds more like a Rihanna song...though I will give her props for her headvoice. I don't really bow to anyone DD ;D

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  52. All hail the all mighty Flying Spaghetti Monster. May her sauce be in our favor. XD

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  53. The insulting first part I understood...''an attorney''...few professions I despise more LOL

    Second sentence.truly no idea what you meant by that Blacl Robin. Please elucidate!

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  54. LoL no idea who that is but I shudder to think ;-)

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  55. I only showed up for the "lofty operatic notes", to bad they were used in this track versus something a little more fun and challenging.

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  56. How does this selfboasting one hit your gutteral rregion Black Robin?
    Personally I highly enjoy when it's done like that...tongue in cheek and without aggression.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTItkb7U51Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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  57. DD! If you have time, I'd like you to do a review on Glee's mashup of "I Still Believe" and "Superbass". The fact that they mixed it with "Superbass" is bad enough, but to choose Darren to sing "I still Believe" is a travesty! A blemish in the history of music! They should have handed it to Amber or Lea!

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  58. To be fair shes not asking fans or listeners to bow down to her. Its quite clear from the lyrics and if youre familiar with rap/hip hop culture she is talking to "industry bitches" . If youre not familiar then that would go some way into explaining your misinterpretation.

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  59. Oh piss off. What are you? A buddy of dear Arthur come to his and Beyonce's ''rescue''.
    I was actually jokingly replying to DD's last line of the review.

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  60. And in doing so you showed you swallowed DD's misinterpretation of the songs meaning. Its cool we all make mistakes. :) I dont know anyone on here. Registered this morning and i have been reading through the comments with interest. You seem to revel in posting condescending rebuttals to these young ones. Suggests quite a lot about your life beyond the computer screen. I look forward to many more exchanges Opie. :)

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  61. I'm flattered dear. Here I was thinking you were here stanning for Beyonce. Turns out you're here as much for the purpose of anti stanning me.
    And what a worthy opponent you promise to be. A dude so highly intelligent...in one day he read all my almost two thousand comments, analyzed me and though not knowing anybody here did find out the actual ages of the stans I argued.

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  62. Im sorry where is this going? If you're not going to respond to any of my comments directly then dont waste my time. Notification had me coming here to read this self-fellating drivel. :\

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  63. Oops sorry to disappoint and ''waste'' your time live so to speak. Especially after you have already invested so much of your time in me.
    Inspite of your earlier ''you're dismissed''...you still persevered and now I have let you down. :-(

    Allow me to respond to your one actual point there in your previous reply....DD line to which I jokingly replied...also a joke. A pun on the song title.
    Hope when that notification you set ''forces'' you here again, you will not be disappointed with the realisation you still look like you are just here to stalk me. :-)

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  64. Im here for the music news and to chat to individuals who share an interest in divas. Saying that i do have an annoying addiction to putting condescending bullies in their place, so i couldnt help but be drawn to your bullshit admittedly. You keep spouting it, i'll keep rubbing your face in it. Hows that mate? :)

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  65. Wild and completely inaccurate assumptions. Believe whatever makes your existence bearable chick. The outcome will remain the same. Enjoy your day :)

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  66. How you keep claiming we know each other just proves how insecure you are. Is it that hard to believe there are people in this world of 7 billion people that share my beliefs? LOL

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  67. As usual Arthur, you fail to comprehend. Your Friend being a Beyonce stan as well is not the reason. And no, believing there are an awful lot like you and your Friend is not hard to believe. In fact,I would say that's not a matter of faith but of fact.

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  68. If my registration is the highlight of your day then that speaks volumes about what its like being you on a daily basis. :)


    You serve to amuse me as i drag you in each of our interactions for your repellent character. No more, no less. If this brings you joy, then thats an unintended side effect, regardless it seems like you could do with a little in your life.


    I'll pray for you :)

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  69. You seriously need to stop with that comprehension stuff, it's an annoying antic you use because you have nothing else to insult me with. Rather childish to be honest.

    You immediately assumed he was someone I knew because he defended me. Do you even realize how preposterous that is?

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  70. Nope not because he defended you either. Start showing some comprehension or alternatively stop addressing miscomprehensions to me on my words and I won't have to explain that you miscomprehended my words.

    I could, like your Friend, come up with plenty of ways to attempt to insult you. I am not. I am just responding in exasperation to you constantly posting beside the point replies and me having to explain you misunderstood or incorrectly assumed something from my words.

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  71. Don't flatter yourself Arthur's Friend. I am not being dragged. I am where I choose to be.

    Btw ''interactions for your reppelent character''??? Not entirely clear that line but it is clearly yet another personal insult attempt.
    If you are sending wishes to imaginary characters anyway, wish for the ability to come up with something better than those dude.
    If you want to continue your criticism on my character with possibly a shred of the credit you maybe had at your very first response to me but lost so quickly after that. :-)

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  72. I think you have said that in nearly every response to me for the past week or so. Try to be more original please. If you actually think I am miscomprehending things that you clearly imply, you've made it clear. If you continue you to do so, I will inform the Mod that you are harrasing me despite me asking you to stop. Cyber-bullying is a crime btw, even more so considering I am a minor and you are not.
    I have only now noticed how childish you are, and my respect for your debate skills have vanished. You fail to respond to the actual crux of my pount and instead call me dumb.

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  73. Rofl in the meantime I have no doubt you are the one who's been upvoting your new Friends personal insults.
    I told you I would stop responding to you and I did. And to stop addressing me...you didn't. You felt embolded by that self proclaimed vigilante showing up and again decided to jump in a fray you can't deal with. I ignored you the first time. I responded the second time.

    I will spell a few things out for you for the last time. I am sure this vigilante is either you or a friend of you. I think so because he shares many of your writing characteristics and issues. Not because he stans for Beyonce. Not because he shares your views.
    Also because he clearly and admittedly only registered to come to your aid. Not everybody I tangle with...just you.

    I also told you...if you stop addressing me, I will do the same. That means...in any thread. If you insist on addressing me, I will presume you want to get a response. In which case don't complain when you get one.
    Now again...I will start with no longer responding. I will even give you one freebee so you can get the last word in. Hell, I'll give you two. After that please stick to this arrangement...I will not address you and you will not address me. Thanks :-)

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  74. Don't you upvote your friend's comments? As if it is something absolutely ludicrous to do. I find it funny how you have downvoted all my comments lately. Even the ones that aren't addressing you. It's a little pathetic tbh.

    I will address anything I don't agree with.

    You don't need to spell anything out for me. I will reiterate, your charade of pretending you're my intellectual superior is getting older each time you use it.

    Lmfao, he/she is a vigilante? xD What does that make you? A super-hero? Gtfo and stop assigning unnecessary labels to people on the internet.

    Girl ... I can't with your misinterpretations. Similar writing characteristics? Okay let me analyze that for you. He/she doesn't capitalize his "I"'s, I do. He/she doesn't use apostrophes, I do. Just by looking at a paragraph he/she wrote, I was able to tell that. Take a closer look next time. His/her vocabulary and writing style is more aggressive, and his/her sentence structure is different than mine. Also, he/she calls you chick, I don't. In addition, he/she does not post at the same time as me. Now, if you would please rebut these points, it would make my day.

    There's no real way I can prove I don't know him/her in person, that's just an irrational assumption you came to. How? I don't know. Although, he/she did say once that he/she lives in England. You know the location of my school, so you know I don't live in England.

    I don't know, he/she pitied me upon seeing your rude responses. Especially considering I'm so much younger than you. Of course, him/her being a Beyonce fan ties into it to.

    Me addressing you is not cyber bullying. You constantly making remarks about my comprehension ability and my intelligence is cyber bullying. Again, considering I'm a minor (someone under the age of 18), and you are not, you would most definitely be the one responsible.
    I would like a response, but is it too much to ask for them to not be rude? I don't care if you respond, I'm just telling you how it is. If you say anything I disagree with, I will address you.

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  75. Maybe @facebook-100000090078915:disqus would stop it if you'd actually take a listen and comprehend what she's trying to say. You're just asking for a big bus to bang you straight on.

    You could also say that it is a cyber-crime, complaining to the mod and whatsoever, but as usual; don't stand in the kitchen if you can't stand the heat.

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