Is sp*z a slur? Twitter debate ensues as Beyoncé changes ableist Renaissance lyric, a month after Lizzo's controversy

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles sparked controversy when she used an ableist slur on her new track, Heated, from her latest album, Renaissance. In the lyrics of the song, the singer used the slur &quot;sp*z&quot; multiple times. The controversy comes a month after singer-songwriter Lizzo received flak over her usage of the same slur in a song.Knowles’ track, which she co-wrote with Drake, used the slur twice in the following part of the lyrics:“Sp*zzin' on that a**, sp*z on that a**.”The singer's response about her creative process (Image via beyonce/Instagram)This received a lot of flak online from advocates for the disabled community, following which the 28-times Grammy-winning artist took to Instagram to comment on her creative process for the album. In the caption of the post, Beyoncé mentioned:“My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom.”Beyoncé to remove ableist slur from HeatedLater on August 1, CNN confirmed that Beyoncé was set to remove the slur from her lyrics. A representative of the singer told the publication that “the word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced.&quot;Similar to Beyoncé’s approach, Lizzo had previously removed the lyrics from her track Grrrls. After the backlash, Lizoo took to her social media and expressed that it was never her intention to “promote a derogatory language.” She further mentioned:“This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist, I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”FOLLOW @YITTY@lizzo28225315404❤️ https://t.co/QH6WufEjGhOn Twitter, Lizzo’s statement had received over 280,000 likes as of now. While Lizzo clarified that it was not intention, the original lyrics of the track included:“Hold my bag, b**ch (girls)/ Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t? I’ma sp*z/ I’m about to knock somebody out (girls).”What does sp*z mean and how is it derogatory?In the African-American version of spoken English, the term &quot;sp*z&quot; means &quot;to fight&quot; or &quot;to go crazy.&quot; However, according to the Cambridge dictionary, the term also refers to a &quot;stupid person.&quot; They also mentioned that the term originated from the word &quot;spastic,&quot; which is a derogatory term to refer to people with cerebral palsy. The term can possibly refer to the spasms such an individual would have to face due to their condition.Due to its derogatory nature, in the differently-abled community, the term is considered to be a slur. Furthermore, since the derogatory interpretation of the word targets differently-abled individuals, the usage of the term also promotes a sense of ableism (prejudice against differently-abled individuals.)Beyoncé’s usage of the ableist term &quot;sp*z&quot; and her decision to remove the lyric spark debate amongst netizensWhen some Twitter users came to know about the original lyrics, which used the slur twice, they expressed their massive disappointment in the singer. A legion of tweets claimed that they had just brought up the negativity surrounding the usage of the term last month with Lizzo.Althera Monique@spooniefulasuga@Hes_Stupendous @JuJuBreauxD I am disabled and have a condition that causes spastic muscles. Spaz has never been a slur in my community. And has never been used as a slur towards me. When the medical staff refers to my condition and says my muscles are spastic, they aren’t saying a harmful thing.42212@Hes_Stupendous @JuJuBreauxD I am disabled and have a condition that causes spastic muscles. Spaz has never been a slur in my community. And has never been used as a slur towards me. When the medical staff refers to my condition and says my muscles are spastic, they aren’t saying a harmful thing.daneka 🪐 #ClimateJustice@danekaetchellsso Beyoncé using the sp*z slur too in her new song?? do we learn nothing???6516so Beyoncé using the sp*z slur too in her new song?? do we learn nothing???⁂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙰⁂@erickacknowlesSpaz is not a slur, not in the way Beyoncé and Lizzo used it. It’s a slang that is referring to a type of jumpiness or general hyper activeness.1929343Spaz is not a slur, not in the way Beyoncé and Lizzo used it. It’s a slang that is referring to a type of jumpiness or general hyper activeness.Callum Stephen (He/Him)@AutisticCallum_Beyoncé’s rep has confirmed that the slur will be replaced. Go Beyoncé! This is exactly why it is important that we raise our concerns. It’s not about cancelling or complaining, but about educating, and creating a more accepting society for disabled people. 84980Beyoncé’s rep has confirmed that the slur will be replaced. Go Beyoncé! This is exactly why it is important that we raise our concerns. It’s not about cancelling or complaining, but about educating, and creating a more accepting society for disabled people. ❤️𝐾𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑎🧸|| 𝑆𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑂𝑝𝑝🔥@ohmybardixxSo y’all never learned of homonyms in school?! “Spazz” has a whole other meaning in the black community and is never meant with any negative connotations. Just because it’s a slur to y’all doesn’t mean Beyoncé was using it as a slur! Same way brits call cigarettes “f@gs” 🙄🙄🙄 twitter.com/hannah_diviney…Hannah Diviney@hannah_divineySo @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community &amp; the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music 35165So @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community &amp; the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music 💔So y’all never learned of homonyms in school?! “Spazz” has a whole other meaning in the black community and is never meant with any negative connotations. Just because it’s a slur to y’all doesn’t mean Beyoncé was using it as a slur! Same way brits call cigarettes “f@gs” 🙄🙄🙄 twitter.com/hannah_diviney…doubles &amp; pholouri@_KhadijahBritA THREAD : Interesting how “Spazz” is an ableist slur for the disabled community (which I am not disputing) but yet this same word which has been in the BLACK community for years - (which Lizzo &amp; Beyoncé are both part of) now just happens to be offensive &amp; lyrics have change ?10031A THREAD : Interesting how “Spazz” is an ableist slur for the disabled community (which I am not disputing) but yet this same word which has been in the BLACK community for years - (which Lizzo &amp; Beyoncé are both part of) now just happens to be offensive &amp; lyrics have change ? https://t.co/51o9tmbizxAlex ✡️@inquisikestisIt is kind of disheartening to see people on Twitter saying Beyoncé and Lizzo shouldn’t have removed the slur from their songs because they don’t think it’s a slur when disabled people have to fight tooth and nail for the most basic of human decency and respect tbh296It is kind of disheartening to see people on Twitter saying Beyoncé and Lizzo shouldn’t have removed the slur from their songs because they don’t think it’s a slur when disabled people have to fight tooth and nail for the most basic of human decency and respect tbhZERO COVID@AdrianBallou@hannah_diviney @Beyonce Lizzo changed lyrics very quickly--that was progress.I also think it's important to:1) As white people, focus on ableism of white artists2) Understand what Black people tell us about AAVE.The word's a slur. But addressing white supremacy + ableism together is important.39726@hannah_diviney @Beyonce Lizzo changed lyrics very quickly--that was progress.I also think it's important to:1) As white people, focus on ableism of white artists2) Understand what Black people tell us about AAVE.The word's a slur. But addressing white supremacy + ableism together is important.jayden@cowboysplswin@djthomson @erickacknowles stop using white definitions on black slang, every instance i heard spazz used in real life it didn’t mean any of these definitions44712@djthomson @erickacknowles stop using white definitions on black slang, every instance i heard spazz used in real life it didn’t mean any of these definitionsHannah Diviney@hannah_divineySo @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community &amp; the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music 6854882So @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community &amp; the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music 💔However, there have been tweets that expressed why the two pop stars should have never changed the lyric, as the term’s meaning in African-American lingo is far from being a slur. Meanwhile, a few tweets further expressed that Beyoncé’s use of the term in her lyrics had a completely different meaning and could not be considered a slur.There were also a significant number of netizens who praised the 40-year-old singer for her decision to remove the lyrics following the backlash.