If you were anywhere near a phone or computer over the weekend, you know singer Beyoncé has a new album out, Renaissance, which immediately broke the internet as Bey's rabid fans had the time of their lives bumping her new tunes.
But not everybody has been feeling the love, particularly disability advocates, who called out the singer for a lyric in one of her new tracks they say uses an ableist term for certain disabled people.
Beyoncé has taken the criticism seriously, announcing she will re-release the track with different lyrics that do not include the offending word.
See her statement below.
The lyric occurs in the new track "Heated" and includes the word "spaz."
While not widely recognized in the United States, the slur derives from the word "spastic." It is a slur used widely and derogatorily in other English speaking countries for those with disabling conditions that effect muscle movement and motor skills, such as cerebral palsy.
The term is particularly offensive in the United Kingdom, where it has a long tradition as a derogatory term and playground taunt, similar to the "r-word" ableist slur in the United States.
In a statement released by her representatives, Beyoncé confirmed she will be changing the lyric.
The statement read in part:
"The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced."
The flap comes after fellow musician Lizzo faced a similar controversy over use of the word in her song “Grrrls" last month, resulting in a similar re-release of the song with rewritten lyrics omitting the word.
UK disability advocacy organization Scope referenced the incident with Lizzo's "Grrrls" in a tweet that leveled pointed criticism at Beyoncé for releasing a song using the word just a month later.
The tweet read:
"Here we are again."
"Not long after ableist language from Lizzo, Beyoncé’s new album features an ableist slur not once, but twice."
"Disabled people’s experiences are not fodder for song lyrics. This must stop."
On Twitter, many applauded Beyoncé for the change.
But fans felt Beyoncé did nothing wrong and the push to change the song was inappropriate.
Beyoncé's team have not yet announced when the new version of "Heated" will be available.
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