Megastar Beyoncé dropped her new album over the weekend to rave reviews and delight many of her fans.
However, she has received pushed back after one word in the lyrics of one song has offended many in a protected community.
At the end of the song “Heated,” the multi-Grammy Award-winning singer says she “Spazzin’ on that ass, sp** on that ass,” referencing how bonkers she is about to get.
Despite being frequently used in American slang, in some communities, it is used as a derogatory term to reference differently-abled people.
One critic blasted her on social media and said, “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.”
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
According to Sky News, a publicist says King Bey has now opted to change the lyrics of the song, co-written by Drake, and that the word was not “used intentionally in a harmful way” by the artist.
Beyoncé is just the latest pop artist to be called out for not being sensitive to the differently-abled community. Many checked Lizzo for using the same word.
Like the Houston native, Lizzo was apologetic, saying, “I never want to promote derogatory language.”
“As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand (sic) the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally),” and said she is “dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”