Beyoncé has updated her latest album, Renaissance, in response to criticism from fans and the pop star Kelis.
The song Heated has received a lyrical update, removing a slur that is often used to demean people with spastic cerebral palsy.
In place of the so-called “s-word”, Beyoncé now sings “blast”.
Meanwhile, a reference to Kelis’s hit Milkshake has also disappeared from the album, after the singer complained she had not given permission for its use.
The “la la la” hook from Milkshake was originally used in the background of Beyoncé’s song Energy. Those vocals have now been erased from the mix.
A drum sample – based either on Milkshake or an earlier Kelis track called Get Along With You – remains integral to the song.
The updates happened on streaming services including Spotify, Tidal and Apple overnight on Tuesday, just five days after Renaissance was released.
At the time of writing, the original versions remain on YouTube.
It is also too late to change the vinyl and CD editions of the album – although future pressings may contain the revisions.
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Beyoncé came under fire from disability advocates over the weekend for including an ableist slur on Heated, which was co-written by Drake.
It came just a few weeks after another US pop star, Lizzo, apologised for using the same derogatory term in her song GRRRLS.
Both Lizzo and Beyoncé said they were unaware of the connotations of the word – whose links to cerebral palsy are less well-known in the US.
In a statement on Monday, Beyoncé’s publicist said: “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful manner, will be replaced in the lyrics”.
