The song “Try That in a Small Town” by country musician Jason Aldean has drawn a lot of criticism for being ‘racist’ and ‘pro-lynching.’ After his song was taken off the radio, the artist at last addressed the criticism thrown at him.
Due to claims that the song was racist and “pro-lynching,” CMT removed the music video for Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town.” The musician is currently defending himself against all of the charges brought against him.
The country musician posted a statement on social media saying, “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of publishing a pro-lynching song (a tune that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the statewide BLM rallies.
He said, “These references are not only worthless, but dangerous.”
According to sources, CMT took the music video off the air after three days of airtime. Although they made the decision to stop airing it, they have chosen not to discuss the reasons why.
Aldean performed the contentious song in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which had an American flag draped over the entryway in the music video in question.
After the video was made public last week, astute observers noted that the scene was historically significant because it was the same place where an 18-year-old African-American man called Henry Choate was lynched in the 1920s.
Although it is not obvious exactly where the video is from, it depicts protesters battling police officers while burning American flags.
In the lyrics of the song, Aldean says, “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough / Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road.”
“In this area, we look after our own / The lyrics warn that if you cross that boundary, you’ll soon find out, thus I advise against doing so.
Variety labeled the song “the most contemptible country song of the decade,” and on social media, users openly referred to the singer as “a racist who writes barely concealed lynching songs” and a “violent bigot.”
Kelley Lovelace, Kurt Allison, Neil Thrasher, and Tully Kennedy all contributed to the song’s composition. The artist fiercely disputes that he intended to “point to” race, even though the setting of the music video has historical importance in relation to the lynching of African Americans in the United States.
“While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far,” he added. “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there is not a single video clip that isn’t real news footage.”
The artist explained that the “feeling of a community” that he had growing up is all that his song “Try That in a Small Town” speaks to. Regardless of differences in origin or ideology, he remarked, “We looked out for our neighbors.”
“My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night,” Aldean said in further explanation.
“But the desire for it to — that’s what this song is about,” he continued.
The singer has faced criticism in the past as well. After his wife Brittany Aldean made remarks that were transphobic in 2021, the musician was fired by his public relations company. After posting an Instagram video thanking her parents for “not changing [her] gender” during her “tomboy phase” as a child, Brittany sparked uproar.
“Lmao!! Because you and I wouldn’t have gotten along, I’m glad they didn’t, Jason said in a remark on his wife’s video.
All of this criticism is being leveled towards Jason Aldean during his July 14-starting Highway Desperado tour. The musician was hospitalized for heatstroke on the second day of his tour and had to delay his appearance.
The Jason Aldean gig from yesterday will be rescheduled for a later time, according to a statement from the concert venue. We value your understanding as we try to find a new date, as well as the many good wishes for Jason.
