South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has come to the defense of country star Jason Aldean as he faces down a cancel campaign over his song “Try That in a Small Town.”
In a video shared to Twitter on Wednesday, Noem said that she could not believe people have orchestrated a cancel campaign against Jason Aldean.
“I am shocked by what I’m seeing in this country with people attempting to cancel this song and cancel Jason and his beliefs,” Noem said. “Him and Brittany are outspoken about their love for law and order and for their love of this country and I’m just grateful for them.”
Noem then invited Aldean to perform anywhere in her state of South Dakota.
“I think a lot of times people who go out and fight every day on these important issues and have an opinion and remember the freedom and liberty that this country was founded on get persecuted for it and we’re seeing that right now with the Aldean’s and the songwriters that worked so hard on this,” Noem said.
“I just want them to know that we support them, we love them, thank you for writing a song that America can get behind,” she added.
My thoughts on “Try that in a Small Town”…. @Jason_Aldean pic.twitter.com/umJ8qFvy2o
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 19, 2023
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has also come out in support of Aldean. “Cancel culture is the enemy of freedom of expression. I stand with Jason Aldean,” she announced on Twitter.
Cancel culture is the enemy of freedom of expression. I stand with @Jason_Aldean!https://t.co/KpTILT7lWy
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 19, 2023
As Breitbart News reported, CMT recently pulled the music video for Jason Aldean’s new single “Try That In a Small Town,” which aggressively attacks recent riots and rising lawlessness in the United States. The video features Aldean performing in front of a courthouse amid interspersed footage of “a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios, and robbing a convenience store,” according to Billboard.
Later in the video, a Fox News chyron appears with the words “state of emergency declared in Georgia.” Aldean’s video juxtaposes these violent images with more harmonious scenes like a girl playing hopscotch and a raised American flag. Critics of the song took issue with several lyrics wherein Aldean calls out criminals and rioters directly. Per Billboard:
Written by Kelly Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Michael Allison, the song is an often confrontational take, with lyrics challenging those who “carjack an old lady at a red light” or “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop” to try that in a small town and “see how far ya make it down the road/ around here, we take care of our own.”
In a later verse, Aldean, who was on stage when the worst gun massacre in U.S. history took place at the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, sings, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me/ They say one day they’re gonna round up/ Well, that sh-t might fly in the city/ Good luck.”
Aldean addressed the controversy over his song after CMT removed it from circulation on Tuesday in a lengthy message on his Instagram Stories.
“I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject too the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” he said.
Aldean asserted that he never brought race into the song and that he used real news footage.
“NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart. … ‘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.
Country singer and gun control singer Sheryl Crow, however, called his song “lame” while accusing him of promoting violence.
“I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame,” she said.
.@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.
This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr
— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) July 19, 2023
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.