Beyonce is facing backlash over an offensive slur contained in her song, Heated which features in her new album, Renaissance.
After facing mass criticism from fans and disability advocates, Beyonce has agreed to replace an offensive and ableist slur from the lyrics of her song Heated, which is featured in her new 16-track record, Renaissance.
The term in question is “sp*z” which is short for “spastic.” This is considered to be a derogatory slight against individuals with the congenital disorder, cerebral palsy. In the song, Beyonce can be heard singing, “Sp*zin’ on that ass, sp*z on that ass/ Fan me quick, girl, I need my glass.”
A now-viral Tweet by a user named Hannah Diviney called out the global songstress for her use of this term: “So @Beyonce used the word ‘spaz’ in her new song Heated,” she wrote.
“Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I’ll just keep telling the whole industry to ‘do better’ until ableist slurs disappear from music.”
So @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music 💔
— Hannah Diviney (@hannah_diviney) July 30, 2022
In light of the online fury, Beyonce’s representatives have made a statement to the New York Post: “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced.”
They also add: “The road to success is always under construction.”
