Jason Aldean Responds After CMT Pulls Music Video Over Online Complaints

Country Music Television (CMT) has made the decision to remove the music video of country singer Jason Aldean’s recent single “Try That in a Small Town.” This move comes amid online pressure against the company to pull the video after Twitter users’ criticisms surrounding the video, which features a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. From the lyrics: “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.” Twitter users pointed out that the courthouse was a site for the 1920s lynching of a Black man and that the music video, overlaid with scenes of violent riots and incidents from the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, was inappropriate and that the video should be pulled. Aldean dismissed assertions that the track, released in May and only recently paired with a video, alluded to racial matters. In the visual accompaniment, Aldean insinuates that the turbulent riots and instances of lawlessness prevalent in numerous cities throughout the summer of 2020 and beyond would be intolerable in smaller towns. Aldean responded on Twitter, rejecting claims that the song supports lynching or racial intolerance, labeling these accusations as not only unfounded but dangerous. According to the singer, the song and its video, which only contains real news footage, does not hint at or refer to race in any manner. “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of…Jason Aldean Responds After CMT Pulls Music Video Over Online Complaints