Country music superstar Jason Aldean is no stranger to controversy, but nothing in his decades-long career prepared him for the firestorm sparked by his song “Try That in a Small Town.” What began as a hard-hitting anthem meant to reflect small-town values quickly exploded into one of the most polarizing debates in modern country music.
The backlash erupted in July after the release of the song’s music video, which features scenes of protesters clashing with police, footage that some viewers interpreted as a statement against lawlessness, while others accused the song of promoting violence and carrying racist undertones. Almost overnight, Aldean found himself at the center of a national cultural war — praised by supporters as a voice for everyday Americans and condemned by critics as dangerously divisive.
In his first major network interview addressing the controversy, Aldean made it clear he is not backing down.
“There was people of all color doing stuff in the video,” Aldean explained. “White people. Black people. This video did not shine a light on one specific group and say, ‘That’s the problem.’ If people saw that, they weren’t looking hard enough.”
Fueling the outrage further was the revelation that parts of the video were filmed in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee — a site tied to the lynching of a Black teenager in 1927. Aldean, who lives in the county, said he was unaware of that history at the time.
“It’s the place I go get my car tags every year,” he said. “It’s my county. I don’t go back a hundred years and research the history of every place we film.”
While Aldean admitted that, knowing what he knows now, he might choose a different location, he stood firm on the message behind the song.
“I know what the intentions were behind the location, the video, the song — all of it. And I stand by that.”
According to Aldean, “Try That in a Small Town” was inspired by frustration over what he describes as growing lawlessness and disrespect for police, not by hatred or division. His perspective, he says, is deeply shaped by personal trauma — particularly the 2017 Route 91 mass shooting in Las Vegas, where he was performing when gunfire erupted.
“My pregnant wife was there. Our fans were there. All hell breaks loose, and you’re not prepared,” he recalled. “That changes how you look at things.”
Ironically, Aldean admitted he expected controversy — just not for this reason.
“I thought the biggest issue was going to be the word ‘gun,’” he said. “I never expected it to get this kind of heat.”
Despite protests, edits to the video, and fierce online debate, Aldean remains resolute. The song will appear on his upcoming album Highway Desperado, set for release November 3.
Love it or hate it, one thing is undeniable:
Jason Aldean isn’t apologizing — and “Try That in a Small Town” has become far more than just a song.