Country music sensation Jason Aldean responded to critics of his ballad “Try That in a Small Town” at a concert last night in Cincinnati.
The multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated artist found himself at the center of an explosive controversy when Country Music Television (CMT) pulled the song's music video, which features scenes from BLM and Antifa riots.
Railing against cancel culture and what America has become, Aldean whipped the crowd into a patriotic frenzy. (RELATED: Buh-Bye, Mickey? Red State Making Disney's Biggest Nightmare A Reality)
Variety reports:
“It's been a long week. I've seen a lot of stuff suggesting I'm this, suggesting I'm that,” Aldean said, as the audience at the Riverbend Music Center booed the opposition he's faced. “I feel everybody's entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, it doesn't mean it's true. What I am is a proud American… I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bullshit started happening to us. I love my country. I love my family. And I will do anything to protect that,” he declared, as the crowd began chanting “USA! USA!”
He continued, “You guys know how it is this day and age, cancel culture… This day and age, if people don't like what you say, they try to make sure they can cancel you, which means try to ruin your life. Ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that can see through a lot of the bullshit. I saw country music fans rally like I've never seen before and it was pretty badass, I gotta say. Thank you guys so much.”
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The controversy over the video has given a substantial boost to a song that previously had been only a modest success in its two months out so far. As of Thursday, “Small Town” did not appear on the daily Spotify USA Top 50 chart, but Friday it entered in the top 20, and as of Saturday moved up to the No. 7 spot (though still trailing Morgan Wallen's No. 3 “Last Night,” as country songs go).
This isn't the first time Aldean felt compelled to defend himself. In the wake of CMT's decision and the media narrative that his growing hit was “pro-lynching,” the singer took to Twitter. (RELATED: Powerless Law Enforcement Forced To Watch As Suspect Wreaks Havoc)
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