Country music singer Jason Aldean is being accused of ‘folding’ after stealth edits were made to his video “Try That in a Small Town.”
Aldean’s team quietly made the edits to his music video, removing a portion that featured footage from a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest, TMZ reported. The removed footage showed violence at a BLM rally projected onto a Tennessee courthouse, a location with a historical connection to the lynching of a Black teenager in 1927. Watch the changes below.
The six-second footage that was taken down had been captured by Fox 5 Atlanta. It remains unclear why this particular segment was removed from the video, and Fox 5 did not yet respond to inquiries about their involvement in the decision.
The music video had sparked controversy when it was released, with accusations directed at Jason Aldean, suggesting that the song was critical of the BLM movement. However, the country singer vehemently denied these claims, stating that the song is not intended as an attack on BLM or any form of racism. Despite the backlash, the song has performed well on the charts.
During a recent concert, Jason reaffirmed his stance, expressing his pride in being an American and his desire to see the country return to “what it once was before all this bulls*** started happening to us.”
The decision to edit the video initially stirred up criticism among conservatives online.
Update: His label claims that it was because of copyright issues pic.twitter.com/Vl5bVAxAn4
— CCG BRYSON (@RealBrysonGray) July 26, 2023
Rapper CCG Bryson accused Aldean of ‘folding,’ but later updated his criticism to note that the video contained copyrighted material.
Jason Aldean quietly edited out the BLM rioters from his “controversial” music video.
Very disappointing to see him cave to the woke mob.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) July 26, 2023
“Jason Aldean quietly edited out the BLM rioters from his ‘controversial’ music video,” Brigitte Gabriel earlier remarked. “Very disappointing to see him cave to the woke mob.”
It remains to be seen if conservatives will be satisfied with the explanation that it was removed for a copyright issue and not to appease left-wing critics who are deliberately mischaracterizing his song’s meaning to culturally protect the radical BLM agenda.
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OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.