Jason Aldean responds to backlash over his allegedly racist, pro-lynching song and music video for 'Try That in a Small Town'

Country singer Jason Aldean is facing a major PR nightmare, as  his song “Try That in a Small Town” is receiving a backlash from fans, critics, and fellow musicians amid accusations of promoting gun violence against Black Lives Matter, and promoting small town lynchings.

The song, and the accompanying music video, feature the lyrics, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s*** might fly in the city, good luck/Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own / You cross that line, it won't take long."

That coupled with the fact that he shot his music video on the very site of a horrific lynching of a Black man by a white mob on the steps of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee has resulted in CMT pulling the music video from rotation, per Billboard. 

We have chosen not to link to or include the music video here.

Now, Aldean has responded to the backlash, but instead of clarifying concerns or issuing an apology, he is doubling down.

"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," he tweeted

"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," he continued.

Aldean, who survived the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, referenced that in his statement, saying, “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."

He finished his statement with, “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.”

That statement isn’t flying with a lot of fans and critics, and especially fellow musician Sheryl Crow, who took to Twitter to voice how Aldean’s song and music video do not reflect small town communities.

Addressing his directly, she tweeted, “I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”

The backlash includes criticism from Tennessee lawmakers and fans alike.

The music video, which has clocked 673,000 views on YouTube since it dropped last Friday features Aldean performing in front of the courthouse with an American flag hanging from the entrance. The performance is interspersed with footage of a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios, and robbing a convenience store.

In 1927, 18-year-old Black teenager Henry Choate was lynched by a white mob in Columbia, Tennessee, having been accused of attacking a white girl. The mob, numbering in the hundreds, killed him at the jail after dragging him through the city behind a car, and then hanged his body from the courthouse.

This isn’t the first time Aldean has been criticized for being racist and being racially insensitive. Back in 2015, TMZ reported that he dressed up as Lil Wayne for halloween in an act of blackface. The outlet reported that Aldean also made no apology for using another race as his costume.