American singer Jason Aldean has spoken out to thank his fans after his “racist” song Try That In A Small Town becomes a hit.
The country singer’s track saw a 999 per cent increase in streams after it began trending last week for its content following the release of the accompanying music video. The tune also made it to number 2 on the Billboard Chart.
The lyrics of the song have been accused, by some, of having violent and racist undertones. The chorus says: “Try that in a small town, see how far you make it down the road. Round here we take care of our own.
“You cross that line it won't take long for you to find out, I recommend you don't try that in a small town.”
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On Twitter, Aldean shared a montage clip featuring imagery taken behind the scenes of his tour. In one clip, Aldean addressed the crowd referencing the controversy around the song.
“So, somebody asked me, ‘Hey man, do you think you’re going to play this song tonight?’. The answer was simple. The people have spoken and you guys spoke very, very loudly this week.”
Aldean denied that the track has any racial undertones, taking to social media last week to write: “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 protests.
“These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.”
The music video for the song features imagery of riots and protests and was pulled from the air by television network Country Music Television (CMT) in the US three days after it was first shown.
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