CMT Pulls Music Video For Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” Amid Controversy

Jason Aldean country music
YouTube/Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean is under fire for the politically charged music video he just released for his single “Try That In A Small Town.”

The outspoken country star is no stranger to controversy, having been caught in political crossfire before for comments he and his wife, Brittany Aldean, have made, like their feud with Maren Morris last year).

But now his latest video has been dropped by CMT.

Aldean dropped his latest single, “Try That In a Small Town,” back in May. Written by Kelley Lovelace, Kurt Allison, Neil Thrasher and Tully Kennedy, the song was a direct shot at big city lawlessness, calling out looters and rioters while also taking a strong stance on gun control:

“Got a gun that my granddad gave meThey say one day they’re gonna round upWell, that sh*t might fly in the city, good luck

Try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road
‘Round here, we take care of our own
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out, I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town”

He released a video for the song last week that features imagery of riots and looting from around the world, while Aldean sings in front of the Maury County courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee.

But many online have accused the outspoken country singer of featuring racist lyrics and imagery in both the song and video

The music video for “Try That In A Small Town” was originally placed in the music video rotation on CMT, but today, the network decided to quietly pull the video from the air.

No reason was given, although CMT confirmed to Billboard that the video was no longer in their rotation.

In a post promoting the video when it was released, Aldean commented that it’s all about having each other’s backs:

“When you grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of “We all have each other’s backs, and we look out for each other.”

It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost.

Deep down, we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that you are not alone in feeling that way. Go check it out!”

And while many fans praised him for his message, there are quite a few others who tore him apart.

Aside from the controversy, many also pointed out that Jason Aldean is from Macon, Georgia.

Macon has a population of 153,000…not exactly what you would consider to be a small town. He then moved to Nashville, which is not a small town.

While caring for your neighbor is a principle everyone should embody, others who grew up in a small town didn’t really appreciate his effort to relate to them.

Jason Aldean has always stood openly about his political views, and this song does not stray from the message he has been putting out there. But the bluntness of this one has seemed to make it especially polarizing.

Jason recently took to social media to address the video being pulled, saying:

“In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.

As so many pointed out, I was present at Route, 91-where so many lost their lives- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.

Try That In A Small Town, for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.

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. But the desire for it to that’s what this song is about.”

It’ll be interesting to see if CMT chooses to address the topic of the controversy at a later date after their silent pull of the video.

Check out the video and decide for yourself.

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