NEW YORK — Beyoncé is removing an offensive term for disabled people from a new song on her record “Renaissance," just weeks after rapper Lizzo also changed lyrics to remove the same word.
“The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” a spokeswoman for Beyoncé wrote in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday.
The song “Heated,” which was co-written with Canadian rapper Drake among several others, uses the word “spaz," which is considered a derogatory reference to the medical term spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy.
Lizzo also removed the word from one of her songs, “Grrrls," in June after disability advocates complained about the lyrics. Lizzo said in a statement she never wanted to promote derogatory language.
Disability advocate Hannah Diviney, who pointed out Lizzo’s lyrics that lead to the change, wrote on Twitter that hearing the word again used by Beyoncé “felt like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo.”
Beyoncé dropped her highly-anticipated seventh studio album Friday titled "Renaissance."
Following the 16-track album release, the "Break My Soul" singer posted a message to her social media pages, thanking her fans for waiting to listen after the album was leaked earlier in the week.
"So the album leaked and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you all can enjoy it together. I've never seen anything like it. I can't thank you all enough for your love and protection," the message read.
"Renaissance" is Beyonce's first solo album since her "Lemonade" album, which was recorded in 2016. The album was recorded over the course of the pandemic, almost three years in the works. Beyonce said the stillness of that time allowed her to tap into her most creative self.