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Beyoncé to Remove Offensive 'Renaissance' Lyrics Amid Backlash
Beyoncé is taking action after catching heat for one of her Renaissance lyrics.
The singer’s new album arrived Friday and some fans quickly took notice of an offensive term used on the standout song “Heated,” which includes the ableist slur “spaz.”
“Spazzin’ on that ass, spazz on that ass,” she sings on the track, which includes writing credits from Drake.
The word “spaz” has often been used to describe losing “physical or emotional control,” but its origin is from “spastic,” which refers to an individual suffering from a disability which makes it difficult for them to control their muscles, especially in their arms and legs.
Amid the controversy, Beyoncé’s team promptly responded, telling Variety that the offensive lyric will be removed from “Heated.”
“The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” read a statement from Beyoncé’s team.
Lizzo recently faced scrutiny for using the same slur on her song “Grrrls” off her album Special. On the original track, Lizzo sang: “Hold my bag, bitch, hold my bag / Do you see this shit? I’m a spaz.”
Lizzo changed the lyric and issued an apology. “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” she tweeted. “As a Black fat woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I [understand] the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally). This is the result of me listening and taking action.”
Despite the controversy, Renaissance is expected to debut at No. 1 with first-week sales of 275-315,000.