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 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,” Aldean said on social media.
CMT has refrained from disclosing the reason behind the withdrawal of the music video.
Support for Aldean’s song were apparent on social media. Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, expressed support for Aldean, questioning CMT’s decision to remove the video and urging followers to back artists “who have the guts to tell the truth.”
