Jason Aldean Trolls Song Critics in New Video

Jason Aldean, the country music singer under fire for his track "Try That in a Small Town," has hit back at his critics with a new video shared on Twitter.

Amid continuing criticism over the lyrical contact of his song, as well as the visuals in the accompanying music video, Aldean, 46, posted a 90-second video that showed the track's popularity among fans attending his recent concerts.

The controversial track includes the lyrics that if somebody "cross[es] that line," to "cuss out a cop, spit in his face" or "stomp on the flag and light it up," to "try that in a small town." Aldean also sings: "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."

Aldean's track has sparked an ongoing debate on social media. One detractor on Twitter branded it "very scary," while a supporter wrote that the song depicted how Americans "are sick and tired of the crimes, criminals, violence, repeat offenders, liberal DA [district attorneys], 2A [second-degree] assault, defund the police BS [b*******]."

Aldean—who has won the support of former President Donald Trump, among others—has also faced criticism for his music video. The clip was filmed outside of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a white mob killed Henry Choate, a Black man, in 1927. The video also shows riots and protests in different parts of the country.

As the criticism continues, Aldean took to Twitter on Monday to share footage of himself on the road for his current Highway Desperado tour. The clip shows stops at a variety of locations in the U.S., including Cincinnati, Ohio; Twin Lakes, Wisconsin; Hartford, Connecticut; and Bethel and Saratoga Springs in New York.

With "Try That in a Small Town" serving as the soundtrack, Aldean is seen performing before throngs of screaming fans in the video. He is shown traveling between each show with his crew and family.

In the clip's concluding seconds, Aldean stands onstage as he tells concertgoers: "So when somebody asked me, 'Hey man, you think you're gonna play this song tonight?' the answer was simple. The people have spoken, and you guys spoke very, very loudly this week."

The clip, which ends with Aldean holding a U.S. flag aloft, was accompanied by the caption: "Thank u guys. Ready to see u back out there this weekend!" Aldean's next show is scheduled to take place in Columbia, Maryland, on July 27.

During his Cincinnati concert on Friday, musician Aldean decried "cancel culture" as he reflected on his "long week" of controversy.

"It's been a long week, and I've seen a lot of stuff," he told the crowd, per Entertainment Weekly. "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. You can think something all you want to, it doesn't mean it's true, right?"

"What I am is a proud American," he went on. "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."

While Aldean's track has been met with divided opinion, it is currently number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart dated July 29.

Earlier this month, Aldean unveiled the music video for his song, which music channel Country Music Television (CMT) decided to drop from its broadcasts last Tuesday. A spokesperson for the station told Newsweek that the music clip is no longer on rotation on the channel, but did not offer any further information as to why the decision was made.

There has also been scrutiny of a teaser clip that he released for the track on TikTok back in May. The video included highlighted lyrics, as well as newspaper cuttings. One of the latter has sparked renewed criticism of Aldean, as it pertains to attacks on an anti-segregationist newspaper owner in Jim Crow-era Mississippi.

Nashville, Tennessee-based Aldean—who grew up in Macon, Georgia, and Homestead, Florida—responded to some of the criticism last week.

He tweeted: "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 BLM [Black Lives Matter] protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous."

"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," Aldean continued.

"'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," he said. "Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences."

"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," Aldean added.