Apple iPhone 14 ad updated after lyrics were confused for racial slur

Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch ad instantly became a viral meme after the lyrics of the background song were mistaken for racial slurs. As per a report by 9to5Mac, the original ad had a snippet of Idris Elba’s song Biggest. In the song, the lyrics repeat the word "Biggest" in such a way that some people heard an offensive racial slur instead. Following the backlash, Apple has responded two months later by removing the vocals from the ad’s soundtrack entirely.

Apple has updated the videos on social media, including YouTube, for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch advertisement. According to the report, if one watches the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus launch ads on YouTube today, they will no longer hear any vocals, instead, only the instrumental backing track is played for the entire duration of the video, according to the report.

The video description still credits the Elba song, but all that can be heard is the backing track.

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Originally, the lyrics were something like "Biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, this is the biggest bounce of the summer". The "Biggest" word was referring to the launch of the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus, which is the company's biggest iPhone launch yet.

However, without context, the pronounced syllables of "Biggest" overlaid with the music caused people to hear the n-word, said the report. (with inputs from IANS)