Beyonce has responded to criticism from disability rights activists and online backlash by removing an insensitive remark from her new album, “Renaissance.”
The 40-year-old singer received glowing reviews for her dance-inspired seventh studio album when it was released on Friday, but she faced backlash over the weekend after listeners pointed out that the song “Heated” contained a derogatory term.
Beyoncé sings the lyric, “Spazzin’ on that ass, spazz on that ass,” on the single, which was co-written by Drake.
The word “spaz,” which is frequently used in casual speech to signify “freaking out” or “going crazy,” really originated from the term “spastic,” which is derogatory to those who have spastic cerebral palsy.
The illness interferes with a person’s capacity to regulate their muscles, particularly in their arms and legs, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“So @Beyonce used the word ‘sp**’ in her new song ‘Heated’. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community and the progress we tried to make with Lizzo,” disability advocate Hannah Diviney wrote on Twitter.
“Guess I’ll just keep telling the whole industry to ‘do better’ until ableist slurs disappear from music.”
Yet another tweeted, “Screw you @Beyonce. You should be a role model, not making money from the lazy use of derogatory language. Shame on you.”
Beyoncé’s representatives via a statement to the media noted that the phrase, not used purposefully in a damaging sense, would be replaced and that the song will be changed.
After the singer’s first song, “Break My Soul,” was released in June, fans eagerly anticipated “Renaissance.” She hadn’t released a full-length album since “Lemonade” in 2016.
Beyoncé shared a glimpse into her artistic process on Instagram, telling followers that it gave her “a space to dream and find escape amid a dangerous moment for the world.”
After receiving objections regarding her use of the phrase “GRRRLS” from the disabled community, fellow performer Lizzo unveiled a new rendition of her song “GRRRLS” a few weeks prior to the singer’s decision to change “Heated.”
The Guardian
