The Brooklyn Nets star expresses his disappointment after the 'Renaissance' artist announces that she will change the lyric of her new song 'Heated' following heavy criticism.
- Aug 2, 2022
AceShowbiz - Kevin Durant has responded to the backlash over the ableist lyrics found in Beyonce Knowles' new song "Heated". Shortly after Beyonce declared that she'll remove it, the NBA star expressed his disappointment.
On Monday, August 1, Beyonce's representative confirmed that the lyrics of her new song will be changed. "The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Brooklyn Nets player then reacted to Beyonce's decision to re-record the song. He hopped in an Instagram post from HipHopnMore and scoffed at the entire situation. "This is a joke lol," so he commented.
Of course, Kevin wasn't the only one who found it silly for Beyonce to re-record her song due to the criticism. His comment elicited several subsequent responses from people such as rapper Denaun Porter who simply left three "100" emojis. Another person added, "America complain about all kinda dumb s**t but thangs of importance smh."
Beyonce's sixth studio album "Renaissance", was released on Friday, July 29. Many Twitter users quickly criticized her song "Heated" in which Beyonce sings, "Spazzin' on that a**, spazz on that a**." In the medical field, the word "spastic" is often used to describe a disability that makes it challenging for people to control their muscles, especially in their arms and legs.
Upon learning of the lyrics, Krystal-Bella Shaw, writer and founder of Dyspraxia magazine, branded it "disappointing." She tweeted, "Beyonce has no excuse for using the word sp*z in her new song. Considering how public Lizzo went for the use in her song and for her removing it... this is disappointing. Why are disabled people constantly having to fight for ableist slurs to stop being used?"
Journalist and author of Crippled, Frances Ryan, said it was "very hard to believe" neither Beyonce nor anyone in her team didn't recognise the ableist slur when Lizzo made the same mistake a month ago "and graciously corrected it."
The Guardian writer Hannah Diviney, who first called out Lizzo for her use of the word in her song "GRRLS", criticized on Twitter, "So @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & 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."
Cardi B, who collaborated with Lizzo on the single "Rumors", responded to the fiery backlash over Lizzo's song, and said she wouldn't have been so accommodating. "Ya will do mental gymnastics to include me in anything that people are getting dragged for," Cardi wrote. "People have called me out for plenty of s**t .Yall do it every week SOMETHINGS I apologize for & some things I will tell y'all TO SUCK D**K & personally If I was Lizzo I would of said SMD!"
