Beyoncé Under Fire, to Remove Ableist Slur From ‘Heated’
Celebrated American singer, Beyoncé is poised to remove an ableist slur from her new album, “Renaissance,” after facing online backlash and criticism from disability campaigners.
Upon the debut of her dance-inspired seventh studio album, the 40-year-old singer received rave reviews. However, in an unexpected twist, she has came under fire over the weekend when fans noticed the inclusion of a derogatory term in the song “Heated.”
On the track, which was co-written by Drake, Beyoncé sings the line: “Spazzin’ on that ass, spazz on that ass.”
Although the word “spaz” is often used colloquially to describe “freaking out” or “going crazy,” it is derived from the word “spastic,” which is considered demeaning to people with spastic cerebral palsy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC,) the disorder affects a person’s ability to control their muscles, especially in their arms and legs.
“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.”
Another commentator tweeted: “Screw you @Beyonce. You should be a role model, not making money from the lazy use of derogatory language. Shame on you.”
Representatives for Beyoncé confirmed on Monday that the lyric would be removed, telling CNN in a statement that “the word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced.”
