Six years of waiting for Beyoncé's new album
Renaissance
to come out .
And yet, just four days after its release, Beyoncé will already record one of her songs again, as she confirmed to the British station BBC.
Specifically, the theme
Heated,
co-written with the musician Drake, and criticized for its offensive language towards people with disabilities.
The lyrics use the word
spaz twice:
although in the US it is used colloquially as a verb, which can be translated as "lose control" or "go crazy", its root comes from the word
spastic
(spastic), which is used from a medical point of view to describe the spasms that people with cerebral palsy can suffer, but also as an insulting reference to people with disabilities, as summarized by the magazine
NME
.
Literally, the song reads:
“Spazin on that ass, spaz on that ass
”, which probably, in the artist's intentions, should be translated as “losing control of that ass”.
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A spokesman for the singer assured the BBC that the term was not "intentionally used in a hurtful sense" and that it will be "replaced in the lyrics", without specifying when.
At the same time, some of her followers came out in defense of her diva, remembering precisely the nuance that in the US the word can be used with another meaning.
Just a few weeks ago, in any case, the exact same thing happened with another pop diva.
Lizzo also included in her song
De Ella GRRRLS
the same term, received identical criticism and reacted in the same way: apologies and changes in the song.
But the coincidence has generated even more frustration in the affected group.
"I'm tired of having this conversation again so soon, after receiving such a significant response from Lizzo," Hannah Diviney, an activist for the disabled, told the BBC.
Several sources consulted by the station highlight another concept: language is very important to change or reinforce certain behaviors and prejudices, and even more so when it comes to one of the most listened to artists and albums on the planet.
Hence they express their surprise because the wound comes precisely from Beyoncé, considered a champion of the fight for equality and the inclusion of other groups,
Renaissance
comes six years after Lemonade, one of the most acclaimed albums in recent pop history.
Meanwhile, the artist had released another album with her husband, Jay Z, the soundtrack for a new version of
The Lion King,
focused on Africanism, and a live feature film,
Homecoming
.
Renaissance
includes 16 tracks, starting with
Break My Soul,
the single that advanced the album.
In fact, another song on the album, Energy, has also been attacked, although for different reasons: the singer Kelis accused Beyoncé of "theft", for "interpolating" (that is, including a reference to another song in a song without copying it). expressly) his Milkshake, as reported by the BBC.
Kelis she regretted in a message on the social network Instagram she had not been informed in advance and "the lack of respect" that she believes she has suffered.
And she stated that it would not have been so difficult to contact her.
"It's common decency."