(Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
After teasing an unreleased song, GloRilla seemingly kept her ears glued to the innanet streets. Though the feedback was welcoming in the majority, some fans took issue with GloRilla using the r-word (retarded) in her lyrics. In return, the rapper wasted no time circling back to the booth!
As mentioned, the first version of the unreleased song used the r-word as slang to describe how GloRilla and her friends act together. “Must not know what you just started, me and my b****es retarded. Give a f**k about this party, we gon’ step on sh*t regardless,” Glo rapped.
Rather than issue statements or go back and forth with upset fans and critics, Glo tweaked the lyrics and teased the song again on Sunday (August 25). She kept the same intention but replaced the R-word with more acceptable terms.
“You must not know what you just started, me and my b*****s go knarly. Give a f**k about this party, we gon’ step on sh*t regardless,” Glo raps in the new audio.
Though her intention might not have been derogatory, some reactions pointed to the growing movement against using the R-word. The Special Olympics, in particular, has designated the term “hate speech” on its website, citing how it went from a medical term introduced in 1961 to an everyday insult.
Additionally, in 2010, former President Obama signed ‘Rosa’s Law’ into effect, which replaced the phrase “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability” in U.S. federal law.
As mentioned, the reactions to GloRilla’s initial song tease were all over the place. There were some users on X (formerly Twitter) proclaiming that the R-word use wasn’t “that deep,” while others called for her to change it.
Swipe below to see how the innanet was chattin’ about the first version of GloRilla’s unreleased song.
In 2022, another singer, Lizzo, faced backlash for using “spazz” as slang in her lyrics. For context, the term has historically been weaponized against people with physical disabilities and is now considered ableist.
In addition to apologizing for the oversight, Lizzo changed the lyrics in her ‘Grrrrl’s’ song.
