Lizzo has changed the lyrics on her single titled “Grrrls”. The American singer, rapper, and songwriter on Monday said she is changing the lyrics to “Grrrls” following criticism from many in the disabled community saying that the single contains a word that is considered an “ableist slur.” The song, which was released Friday June 10, is part of Lizzo’s upcoming album “Special,” has a lyric that uses the word “sp*z,” a slur against people with disabilities.
The opening verse of the much-awaited track contained certain offensive lyrics that read: “Hold my bag, b**h (girls) / Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t? I’ma sp*z/ I’m about to knock somebody out (girls).”
Lizzo went on Instagram to clarify the song. “It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song “GRRRLS”. Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” the three-time Grammy winner wrote.
“As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hateful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case unintentionally). I’m proud to say there’s a new version of GRRRLS with a lyric change.”
A look into the meaning of Ableism and ableist slur
The term “Sp*z” is a slang word short for Spastic and it is a derogatory word for spastic diplegia, which is a form of cerebral palsy. Disability advocate, Hannah Diviney took to Twitter to explain that the word is considered an ableist slur.
The improved version has been replaced with “Hold me back” in the place of the original. It is also updated on streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. Hanna went to Twitter to express how happy she was that Lizzo heard and understands them. Understanding your crowd is one thing, but putting their feelings before the money is quite noble. Lizzo’s upcoming album Special is dropping on July 15th.
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