Recently, the slang “Spaz” has risen to popularity after it’s used in a Beyoncé and Lizzo song.
Both songs sparked controversy on social media platforms like Twitter.
There’s a debate on Twitter about whether the usage of it is a slur.
Some people said that the word is not offensive while others said that it’s a derogatory term.
In this article, you’ll learn why are Beyoncé and Lizzo cutting “Spaz” from their albums and what songs the slang is in.
What Beyoncé song is “Spaz” in?
The Beyoncé song that “Spaz” is in is “Heated”.
It’s part of Renaissance, the seventh studio album released by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Record.
The official lyric video of the song is released on July 29, 2022.
It has over 1 million views on YouTube.
The lyric that got backlash was “Spazzin’ on that ass”.
Apparently, the word is an ableist slur that originated in the UK.
In medical terms, “spastic” is a disability that prevents people from controlling their muscles.
Beyoncé announced the next day that the word would be removed from the song and replaced with “blast”.
Currently, the lyric “Spazzin’ on that ass” has been changed to “Blastin’ on that ass”.
There’s a debate on Twitter that argues about the significance of the word.
It’s evident that the usage of “Spaz” in Beyoncé’s song is not directed against people with cerebral palsy.
This is because the main definition of it is to “lose physical or emotional control”.
The secondary definition of the word, however, is “Twitching”.
Hence, some people intepret the word as mocking disabled people.
What Lizzo song is “Spaz” in?
The Lizzo song that “Spaz” is in is “Grrrls”.
It is from the musician’s upcoming album—Special.
The official audio of the song was released on Jun 10, 2022, and has over 1.3 million views.
According to Lizzo’s tweet, she’s aware that “Spaz” is harmful to some people.
As a result, she made a new version of Grrrls with a lyric change.
This is the result of her listening and taking action.
She goes on to say that she never wants to promote any derogatory language.
The tweet that got Lizzo’s attention is by @hannah_diviney.
She said that her disability, Cerebral Palsy, is classified as Spastic Diplegia, so “Spaz” is an ableist slur.
The tweet got over 9,500 likes and more than 900 retweets.
Political correctness is increasingly important—but harder to acheive in this generation because of the rapid emergence of new groups, ideologies, and definitions.
Hence, it’s not uncommon for an artist to mistakenly include lyrics that might offend a group.
