washington post

How Jason Aldean’s ‘Small Town’ became a right-wing anthem

Today on “Post Reports,” we explore the controversy around Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” – and how the song landed near the top of the charts. Critics say its new music video is full of coded threats against Black people.

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Country music star Jason Aldean is facing immense backlash over “Try That in a Small Town,” which soared in popularity even as the music video was pulled from Country Music Television amid the controversy. While Aldean is defending the video onstage and on social media, it was quietly edited to remove images of a Black Lives Matter protest after critics accused the song of containing coded threats against Black people. Aldean’s label said the video was edited for copyright reasons but did not elaborate.

The Post’s Herb Scribner explains how the controversy has fueled the song’s popularity.