Jason Aldean Defends Controversial "Try That in a Small Town" Music Video Amid Racism Claims; Admits Would Change Location Knowing History

Aldean rebuffs claims of racism in his controversial music video for "Try That in a Small Town" and defends the song's intent, but admits he would have picked a different filming location had he known about the building's history linked to a racially-charged lynching.

Country singer Jason Aldean defended his song, 'Try That in a Small Town', against allegations of promoting racism and gun violence, stating it aimed to highlight lawlessness and disrespect for law enforcement.
Amid the controversy, Aldean admitted that had he known about the history of the Tennessee courthouse featured in the song's video — a location infamous for a racially-charged lynching in 1927 — he would have chosen a different filming location.
The lyrics and visual content of 'Try That in a Small Town', which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, drew both wide-scale criticism and support, becoming Aldean's most controversial and commercially successful song to date.
Despite assertions that the video for 'Try That in a Small Town' did not target any specific racial group, CBS Mornings anchor Jan Crawford described the video as conveying racist undertones and projecting a threatening message for Black people.
Though Aldean maintains his intentions behind the song and its video were misinterpreted, he expressed a potential openness to re-evaluate the selected settings for his videos in future, acknowledging the importance of context and history.