Jason Aldean Claps Back at Racism Claims for ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Music Video

Jason Aldean continues to defend his song and music video, “Try That in a Small Town,” against claims of racism. 

The country music star sat down for an interview on CBS Mornings — which will air in full on Nov. 1 — where he told Jan Crawford he didn’t “understand” why there was negative discourse surrounding the song and accompanying video, which were released earlier this year. 

A portion of the lyrics in the track includes, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s**t might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / 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.”

Aldean also sings that “good ol’ boys, raised up right,” taking matters into their own hands by “taking care of our own.”

The music video was filmed in front of the massive American flag displayed on the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee — the site of the 1927 lynching of Henry Choate. It is interlaced with clips of protestors vandalizing cities in the wake of police brutality and racial unrest during the height of the pandemic. 

Crawford asked Aldean how he reacted to those who perceived the imagery in the video as “threatening” toward Black people — and a “call to arms” for small towns. 

“How?!” Aldean questioned, explaining, “There was people of all color doing stuff in the video.”

“That’s what I don’t understand,” he continued. “You know, there was white people in there. There was Black people. I mean, this video did not shine light on one specific group and say, that’s the problem. So anybody that saw that in the video, then you weren’t looking hard enough in the video is all I can tell you.”

Despite backlash and the music video being pulled from County Music Television, “Try That in a Small Town” was met with viral streaming success. 

The track, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, is Aldean’s highest-charting single ever on the all-genre pop chart, with “Dirt Road Anthem” previously peaking at No. 7 in 2011. His last single, “That’s What Tequila Does,” peaked at No. 77 earlier this year. 

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