Some social media users, including country music fans, have called for a boycott of Country Music Television (CMT) after the channel pulled singer Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.”
CMT aired the video for a few days before it removed it last week, sparking criticism that the channel was engaging in censorship. Some critics of Mr. Aldean’s song claimed that it used footage of a courthouse where a black teenager was allegedly lynched about 100 years ago.
Mr. Aldean’s song makes reference to the right to self-defense and to own firearms. The singer has said it doesn’t glorify violence.
Amid the backlash, Mr. Aldean wrote in a Twitter post: “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.”
The country music singer, who is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, also said that the lyrics refer to his childhood.
“We took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief,” he wrote. “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.”
Meanwhile, the production company behind Mr. Aldean’s video said in a statement to news outlets that it used a “popular filming location outside of Nashville,” referring to the courthouse. That location has been used in a number of other productions and shows.
“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false,” the company stated, adding that Mr. Aldean didn’t choose that filming location.
