Jason Aldeans Try That in a Small Town a Vile Racist Song: TN Rep. Billboard

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Monique Murray

Jason Aldean went on to get the upper hand on Try That in a Small Town, a track that some considered a pro-gun, pro-violence modern lynching song. Aldean vehemently denied these on-air depictions that challenge those who would pull a gun on a liquor store owner or swear at a cop to, as the title suggests, try these actions in a small town to see how far you’ll make it on the road. The fallout from the song released in May and its even more controversial new video, however, continued to rage on Wednesday night.

CNN’s Caitlin Collins spoke with Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones, who was expelled earlier this year and then reinstated in the House after leading an anti-gun control protest on the House floor following a mass shooting at a school in which three children and three adults were killed. who had unequivocal thoughts on the song.

As a Tennessee lawmaker, as our state’s youngest black lawmaker, I felt like we had an obligation and a duty to condemn this vile hateful racist song that was really about the days gone by, said Jones, 27. The lawmaker said in his mind, it was no accident that the video was filmed at the Mauny County Courthouse, where the Race Riot was located, when the Mentier, Choice, is best as 1927 happened. Choate was lynched by a mob and hanged on the second floor of the courthouse after being accused of sexually assaulting a white girl; in February 1946, the city that houses the courthouse was the scene of a race riot in which two black men were killed.

Jones said he sees the song as an attempt to normalize racism, violence, vigilantism and white nationalism, while glorifying a Southern vision from which he believes the state is trying to move forward.

The songs’ video features footage of an American flag being burned, protesters having clashes with police, looters smashing a storefront and thieves robbing a convenience store. Aldean, who in the past has courted controversy by wearing a T-shirt with a Confederate flag and dressing in blackface like Lil Wayne for Halloween, denied on Tuesday that the song had malicious intent.

In the past 24 hours, I’ve been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that’s been out since May) and faced a comparison that I (direct quote) wasn’t too happy with the nationwide BLM protests, Alden wrote in his statement. These references are not only baseless, but dangerous. There isn’t a single lyric in the song that references or points to race and there isn’t a single music video that isn’t actual news footage – and while I may try to respect others for having their own take on a song with music – this one takes it too far.

CMT pulled the video from its rotation after playing it for three days, Billboard confirmed, and while Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, came to his defense, so did Blanco Brown stars, including Sheryl Crow and Margo Price, speaking out against his choice to perform and release the song.

Collins noted that Aldean did not write the song, which Jones says contains references he considers to be clearly alluding to the lynching. Those lyrics and lyrics that say see how far you go on the road? I mean, it’s a lynching anthem, he said. It’s an anthem that reminds me of the stories of young men like Trayvon Martin, Ralph Yarl Ahmaud Arbery, who were killed by white vigilantes. I mean, this song isn’t about small towns, because if it was small towns, where was Jason Aldean when the people of Maury County were fighting for their drinking water? instead, he comes to sing a song that recalls the vision, that recalls the fear of strangers, that racist violence that led my grandparents to leave small towns fleeing Jim Crow terrorism.

Jones further criticized the song for what he called violent racist rhetoric which he said normalizes this type of speech. I was expelled for protesting gun violence. This song is about this proliferation of guns in our communities, about violence, about taking matters into your own hands, Jones said. We feel threatened by people because they are different from us. I mean, it’s shameful, and we have to condemn it.

He also noted that Maury County, TN, where the video was filmed, was the site of an incident last week where the KKK left racist recruiting flyers outside black churches. This song is about promoting violence, normalizing violence, especially white vigilante violence, Jones said. And Jason Aldean should be ashamed of himself for promoting the song that seeks our darkest history instead of our best angels in this nation.

TMZ reported on Thursday (July 20) that Gloria Sweet-Love, president of the Tennessee chapter of the NAACP, also strongly condemned the song and video, echoing Jones’ assertion that it clearly promotes racism and violence.

Watch Jones on CNN below.

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