Beyonce, Lizzo Set New Standard for Fixing Ableist Lyrics

Beyonce will re-record the song “Heated” to remove an ableist slur after public outcry from disabled people, and activists are hopeful that it will signal more changes in language in music lyrics.

The 28-time Grammy winner’s decision to update the song comes days after she released the album “Renaissance” on July 29. “Heated” was co-written by Drake and featured a term that disability advocates say diminishes the lives of people with spasticity, a medical condition that results from neural pathway damage. It’s the second time in less than two months there’s been outcry over the use of the word: Lizzo apologized for using it in her song “Grrrls,” which she released earlier in June.