Jason Aldean calls out 'cancel culture' amid backlash to controversial song
Jason Aldean is continuing to defend his controversial song "Try That in a Small Town" amid a recent wave of backlash that accuses the single of promoting racism and gun violence.
The country singer, 46, reflected on his "long-ass week" and called out "cancel culture" during a concert at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Friday.
"It's been a long week, and I've seen a lot of stuff. I've seen a lot of stuff suggesting I'm this, suggesting I'm that. Here's the thing, here's one thing I feel: I feel like everybody's entitled to their opinion," Aldean said. "You can think something all you want to, it doesn't mean it's true, right?"
"What I am is a proud American," he continued. "I'm proud to be from here. I love our country, I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls--- started happening to us. I love our country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that. I can tell you that right now."
In response to Aldean's comments, concert attendees cheered and began to chant "U.S.A." The musician then went on to describe "cancel culture" as being "something that, 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."
Aldean's Friday concert marked his first public appearance since sparking controversy with the release of the song's music video, which features protest footage alongside lyrics like, 'Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they're gonna round up / Well, that s--- might fly in the city, good luck." The video has been subsequently pulled from CMT.
The "Dirt Road Anthem" singer previously slammed the "meritless" and "dangerous" claims against the song and its video in a tweet on Tuesday.
"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 [Black Lives Matter] protests," he wrote, noting that the single doesn't contain a "single lyric" that references race, but does feature "real news footage." Aldean continued, "While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far."
"'Try That In A Small Town,' for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences," he wrote. "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."
Since the video's release, Aldean has been publicly criticized by Sheryl Crow and the cast of The View, among others. Joy Behar called the song "deplorable" and "annoying," while Sunny Hostin condemned its alleged racist messaging.
"My mother and father, because they were an interracial couple, were run out of South Carolina by the KKK. My father is still scarred from that experience... so don't tell me that not only was he aware of what he was doing by using that imagery, he embraces that imagery," Hostin said. "Unfortunately, this became the No. 1 song on U.S. iTunes. We have a problem in this country about race, and the biggest problem is we refuse to admit that it exists."
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