"Heated" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. It is the eleven track on the former's seventh studio album, Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and Columbia.[1]
Pitchfork writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd described the song as an "a pulsing afrobeats track".[2] Michaelangelo Matos of The New York Times described as a "neo-dancehall form over a slinky, wood-block-heavy groove".[3] The song also features elements of ballroom music.[4][5]
"Heated" referred to Beyoncé's "Uncle" Jonny, her gay cousin who introduce the singer to post-1970s Black ball culture, dance music and club culture, concept of Renaissance.[6][7] The song was considered a tribute to "Uncle" Jonny, who helped raise her until his death during the AIDS epidemic.[8][9]
The song was met with criticism online for its use of the word "spaz" in its lyrics, which disability advocates said is an ableistslur.[10] Other users online said that "spaz" has a different meaning in African-American English and is synonymous with "freaking out".[11][10] Beyoncé announced the following day that the word would be removed from the song, with the word soon being replaced with "blast".[12]
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