This week, SZA discovered that her SNL song “Big Boys” was used in a new video by Donald Trump’s administration focusing on ICE operations.
The video, shared on December 8, showcased ICE officers in military-style uniforms making arrests, all set to SZA’s comedic track from 2022. The White House captioned the post with, “WE HEARD IT’S CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America,” oozing that familiar Trump-era attitude.
SZA quickly responded, calling out the administration on X and saying, “White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK .. inhumanity + shock and aw tactics … Evil n Boring.”
Her manager, TDE Punch, also added, “Trying to provoke artists to respond in order to help spread propaganda and political agendas is nasty business. Knock it off.”
SZA isn’t alone in this fight. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen, Linkin Park, Céline Dion, Neil Young, R.E.M., and, more recently, Sabrina Carpenter, have all voiced their displeasure over Trump’s administration using their work to promote ICE’s agenda. Sabrina Carpenter’s response even went viral, prompting the White House to remove the original video, only to double down later with another using her image, and now here they are again with SZA.
Instead of addressing the serious issues raised, a White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, responded with an insensitive comment disguised as gratitude: “Thank you, SZA, for drawing even more attention to the tremendous work America’s ICE officers are doing…”
Fans were quick to call out the administration for what SZA aptly termed rage-baiting, using beloved artists, particularly Black women, to generate controversy and push their political agenda. The fact that an SNL comedic song was paired with real-life arrests felt particularly manipulative.
It’s noteworthy that “Big Boys” wasn’t even a typical single. It was a lighthearted digital short that fans adored. Nobody anticipated it would become the soundtrack for government enforcement footage.
