By Carly Mayberry
Country music star Jason Aldean’s controversial video of his new song “Try That In a Small Town” has reportedly been reedited to remove images of Black Lives Matter protests.
That’s according to reports that have come out over the last 24 hours from multiple media outlets including The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian. The Washington Post on Tuesday first reported that the video on YouTube was six seconds shorter than the version uploaded on July 14, with a news clip from Fox 5 Atlanta about the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations having been removed. The outlet also noted that neither Aldean, YouTube, nor the music video production company Tacklebox responded to questions about the video’s edit.
The Epoch Times reached out to Aldean’s representatives for comment.
Aldean Under Attack For His Song’s Video
It was on July 18 after a torrent of criticism from both mainstream media and on social media that Country Music Television (CMT) pulled the song’s video. More than one media outlet editorialized the video, condemning it as “racist” and “pro-gun.”
Those critical of the video also criticized its filming location. It was shot in front of the Maury County courthouse in Colombia, Tennessee, a site known for having been the site of a lynching of a black man, 18-year-old Henry Choate in 1927.
The music video portrays leftist violence and lawlessness and includes real-life scenes of rioters around the country wreaking havoc in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May of 2020 and incorporated scenes of protesters spitting at and attacking police officers and convenience stores being ransacked.
Its lyrics state those who “carjack an old lady at a red light” or “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop spit in his face” and “stomp on the flag and light it up” to “try that in a small town” and “see how far ya make it down the road/ ‘round here, we take care of our own.”
Aldean Defends Song’s Lyrics and Video
After CMT pulled the video from its rotation and amidst the criticism, Aldean responded on Twitter, denying the song had any racial elements to it.
“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,” Aldean wrote.
He continued, “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.”
That was prior to him speaking to audience members last Friday during his concert in Cincinnati at the Riverbend Music Center.
“Here’s the thing, here’s one thing I feel: I feel everyone’s entitled to their opinion. You can think of something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true—right?” Aldean said. “What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this [expletive] started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that—I can tell you that right now,” he added.
Song Tops the Charts While Country Music Comes to Aldean’s Defense
Meanwhile, while fellow Country music artists including Brantley Gilbert and Cody Johnson have come out publicly defending Aldean, the song which was first released in May has hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and catapulted to iTunes top spot. It’s now officially Aldean’s highest-charting single ever with 2007’s “Dirt Road Anthem” previously holding that title.
Conversely, musical artists Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Adeem the Artist have been critical of the song and Aldean.
