SZA Criticizes White House Use of Her Song in ICE Video

Singer SZA publicly criticized the White House on Wednesday for using her song "Big Boys" in a social media video promoting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, accusing the administration of deliberately provoking artists to generate attention.

The video, posted to the White House's X account on Monday, showed ICE agents in tactical gear arresting individuals described by officials as undocumented immigrants with criminal records. The caption read, "WE HEARD ITS CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America." The phrase "cuffing season" referenced lyrics from "Big Boys," which SZA originally performed in a 2022 Saturday Night Live sketch.

In her response on X, SZA wrote, "White House ragebaiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity shock and aw tactics ..Evil n Boring." Her manager, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, echoed the sentiment in a separate post, describing the practice as "nasty business" and urging it to stop. Neither SZA nor Henderson has pursued legal action, but their comments highlight ongoing concerns among musicians about unauthorized use of their work in political contexts.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson...