Less than a year after CMT pulled his music video for “Try That in a Small Town” from its rotation, Jason Aldean hit the CMT Music Awards, where he performed his song “Let Your Boys Be Country.”
While the ceremony was broadcast live from the Moody Center in Austin, Aldean’s performance took place on an outdoor stage at the University of Texas at Austin.
In May 2023, the country singer released “Try That in a Small Town,” followed by a music video in July. The track was criticized for promoting gun violence and taking aim at the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Critics called out lyrics including: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face /Stomp on the flag and light it up/Yeah, ya think you’re tough/Well, try that in a small town/See how far ya make it down the road.”
And: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck.”
The music video features clips of the American flag burning, protests and looting.
Amid the backlash, CMT pulled the clip from its rotation.
For his part, Aldean denied the allegations.
“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song…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,” he posted on social media. “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it — and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far.”
The music video also showed Aldean playing in front of a Tennessee courthouse where a Black man was lynched, but the singer said he was unaware of the history of that location.
The music video also was later edited to remove the footage of the BLM protests, though Aldean’s label BBR Music Group said at the time: “The video footage was edited due to third-party copyright clearance issues.” The clips in question originated from Fox 5’s Atlanta, according to The Washington Post.
Watch his CMT Music Awards performance below.
The CMT Awards are airing live Sunday on CBS (delayed on the West Coast). Kelsea Ballerini is hosting, with other performers set to include Jelly Roll along with a special tribute to the late Toby Keith from Brooks & Dunn and Lainey Wilson.
