Boygenius singer Lucy Dacus calls Barack Obama a ‘war criminal’ after he puts song on playlist

Boygenius member Lucy Dacus (left) called Barack Obama a "war criminal" - Copyright Getty Images - SAUL LOEB / AFP

Published on 24/07/2023 - 11:59

The former president of the US has been slammed by Boygenius singer-songwriter after including the band's song ‘Not Strong Enough’ on his summer playlist.

The singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus of the indie rock supergroup Boygenius (whose bandmates include Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker) has branded former President Barack Obama a “war criminal” after he included one of their songs in his summer playlists.

“Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed,” Obama tweeted, after including the Boygenius song ‘Not Strong Enough’ on his most recent playlist.

The unimpressed Dacus replied: “war criminal :(”.

No further explanations were provided, but Dacus was presumably referring to Obama’s approval of drone warfare during his presidency, one of the most controversial aspects of his legacy. Indeed, during his eight years as president, Obama ordered 563 drone strikes, which killed approximately 3,797 people, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The same study suggests that between 384 and 807 were civilians.

Obama has yet to publicly respond to Dacus’ tweet.

Barack Obama makes a habit of sharing his (usually impeccably curated) summer and end of year playlists, as well as his best films of the year. This playlist comes a month after he confirmed that his playlists are in fact curated by him and not pieced together by a hired PR team, with the goal of ticking as many boxes as possible.

Other tracks of his summer 2023 playlist include Janelle Monaé, Ice Spice, SZA, The Beths, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin.

Here is Barack Obama’s full summer 2023 playlist:

J Hus and Drake – ‘Who Told You’
SZA – ‘Snooze’
Pretenders – ‘I’ll Stand By You’
Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro – ‘Vampiros’
Luke Combs – ‘Fast Car’
Tupac, Roger, & Dr. Dre – ‘California Love’
Leonard Cohen – ‘Dance Me to the End of Love (Live)’
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas – ‘Nowhere to Run’
Nobigdyl. – ‘Parabolic!’
Jorja Smith – ‘Try Me’
Burna Boy, 21 Savage – ‘Sittin’ on Top of the World’
Janet Jackson – ‘Got ’Til It’s Gone’
La Doña – ‘Penas con Pan’
The Bangles – ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’
The Beths – ‘Watching the Credits’
The War and Treaty – ‘That’s How Love Is Made’
The Rolling Stones – ‘Soul Survivor’
Aretha Franklin – ‘Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business)’
John Coltrane – ‘Blue Train’
Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj – ‘Princess Diana’
Toots and the Maytals – ‘Funky Kingston’
The Righteous Brothers – ‘Unchained Melody’
Golden Lady – ‘Stevie Wonder’
Jackson Browne – ‘Doctor My Eyes’
Ayra Starr – ‘Sability’
Boygenius – ‘Not Strong Enough’
Otis Redding – ‘(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay’
Bob Dylan – ‘Everything Is Broken’
Ella Fitzgerald – ‘Cry Me a River’
Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma – ‘LA Bebe (Remix)’
Money Man & Babyface Ray – ‘Drums’
Nas – ‘The World Is Yours’
Four Tops – ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’
Pearl Jam – ‘Just Breathe’
J’calm – ‘Tempted’
Kelela – ‘Contact’
Marvin Gaye – ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’
Ike & Tina Turner – ‘River Deep/Moutain High’
Janelle Monáe – ‘Only Have Eyes 42’
Ashley McBride – ‘The Devil I Know’
Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Love & Hate’

Boygenius released their debut album this year, 'The Record', which is one of 2023’s best albums. The group has been outspoken on stage in 2023, and commented on equality at Coachella in April. During their set, Dacus blasted laws in Missouri and Florida that restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender people, while Bridgers declared: “Abortion is amazing” and “F*ck Ron DeSantis.”