Country Music Television (CMT) has been labeled the new Bud Light after it removed a controversial music video by Jason Aldean.
There has been a national boycott of the beer brand since April when it was accused of going woke for partnering with transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.
Now, some social media users have accused CMT of following in Bud Light’s footsteps after it pulled Aldean’s music video for the song, “Try That in a Small Town.” The network confirmed it removed the video on Tuesday.
The song has attracted criticism for its “very scary lyrics” and also for the video, that was filmed outside a Tennessee courthouse where a mob killed a Black man in 1927.
Aldean sings about a gun his grandfather gave him, adding that he doesn’t want to give it up, “they say one day they’re gonna round up/Well, that s*** might fly in the city, good luck.”
The song tells a story of the difference between city life and living in a small town, specifically, if someone there “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.”
The lyrics continue: “See how far ya make it down the road/Around 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.”
Following the outrage over the song’s lyrics and video, Aldean took to social media to deny his music was racist or a call to incite violence.
“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,” he tweeted.
