Beyoncé to remove ableist slur from Renaissance track after criticism

Singer’s representative said term was ‘not used intentionally in a harmful way’

Beyoncé has removed an ableist slur from her song “Heated” following backlash from fans.

Last week, the singer released her latest album, Renaissance.

While the album was well received, the singer was met with criticism for the use of an offensive term as an outro to the track.

On the track, the lyrics read: “Sp***in’ on that ass, sp** on that ass.”

The term in question, derived from the word “spastic”, is considered more offensive in the UK than in the US, where it is sometimes used as a synonym for “freaking out”.

However, fans from around the world criticised her use of the term, pointing out that in June, Lizzo removed the word from her song “Grrrls” and apologised for using the “harmful” slur.

On Monday (1 August), Beyoncé confirmed that the word would be removed from the album.

In a statement provided to The Independent, her representatives said that the slur was “not used intentionally in a harmful way” but would be replaced.

The Independent has contacted Beyoncé’s representatives for further comment.

You can read The Independent’s review of Renaissance here.