Jason Aldean is slated to perform at the 2024 Country Music Television (CMT) Music Awards despite generating considerable controversy last summer with his hit, "Try That In A Small Town" — which was criticized as being pro-gun and pro-lynching. The video, which shows images of a burning American flag and fights between police and civilians (which some have claimed is a criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement) is juxtaposed with lyrics like, "Got a gun that my grandad gave me / They say one day they're going to round up."
The country singer denied the claims in a tweet posted in July, writing, "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous." Aldean added that the song "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 continued, "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."
Though CMT initially played the song's video on its channel following its release in July of 2023, it was ultimately pulled following backlash from the NAACP and others. Now, at Sunday's awards show, Aldean will perform his song "Let Your Boys Be Be Country," which is also nominated for Video of the Year.
