In response to their using one of her songs in an advert promoting their anti-immigration raids, SZA has slammed White House officials for posting a social media video showing agents with America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arresting immigrants.
Including a lyric about “cuffing season” (a dating term used to describe single people finding a short-term partner for the colder months,) the government’s video uses ‘Big Boys,’ a song performed by SZA as part of her December 22 Saturday Night Live sketch. Alongside the clip, representatives for the White House noted their different interpretation of the lyrics, writing, “We heard it’s cuffing szn. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America.”
Responding to the unauthorized use of her music, the superstar songstress took to X and called out the White House for using famous artists’ music on their videos to provoke them into a public reaction and drawing more attention to their footage, adding “White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity +shock and aw tactics ..Evil n Boring (sic),” after which her manager Punch stated, “Trying to provoke artist(s) to respond in order to help spread propaganda and political agendas is nasty business. Knock it off.”
In a statement to Variety, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded with “Thank you, SZA, for drawing even more attention to the tremendous work America’s ICE officers are doing by arresting dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities.”
Born Solána Imani Rowe, SZA joins a growing list of artists who have take the White House to task for using their songs in their videos, including Sabrina Carpenter who slammed them for applying her ‘Juno’ hit over a video montage of ICE raids, penning “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Raph_PH