Country music singer Jason Aldean's apparel is proving to be popular with fans, despite getting some of their backs up just weeks ago.
Aldean's new song released in June "Try That in a Small Town" has landed him in hot water on several fronts, but although dividing some fans his new long-sleeved top has sold out online.
Lyrics to the song were deemed "very scary" for telling the story of the contrast between city life and living in a small town.
The opening of the song includes: "Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk/Carjack an old lady at a red light/Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store/Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like." Later, it warns not to "try that in a small town."
The controversial song was pulled off the air by Country Music Television (CMT) due to the lyrics citing potential gun violence. This resulted in a boycott of the station.
The music video for the song added to the controversy due to the location. The video was filmed outside a Tennessee courthouse where a mob killed a Black man in 1927, prompting onlookers to question if the video was racist.
Others pointed out the irony that he grew up in Macon, a city in Georgia with a population of more than 150,000 people, leaving listeners puzzled as they believed it did not constitute a small town.
Furthermore, avid listeners called out the star as it went against a song he released in 2018 about leaving a small town, "Rearview Town".
The opening lyrics to that song read: "Wipe the footprints off my dash/Tore up those sun-faded photographs/Threw 'em in the wind, ya'll can have it back, I'm outta here."
Some music lovers called him a "hypocrite" due to the two contrasting songs with his more recent hit highlighting how much safer small towns were.
In spite of unsettling listeners, it is clear that he still has a dedicated fanbase; his new shirt has sold out on his website.
The long-sleeved black "Macon, Georgia," shirt has Jason Aldean and Macon, Georgia, printed on the front with the JA Georgia album artwork/logo on the back.
Macon being the thorn in some listeners' sides and sparking the online debate over the artist's repertoire of songs and where he identifies as his home and his beginnings.
Aldean did hit back at critics at a concert on August 11 and, in a speech to the crowd, told spectators, "there's no doubt that the media tries to twist a lot of things to look this way or that way."
He ended: "We put out a song that was supposed to start a conversation about people looking at what's going on in our country and hopefully realizing that what's going on in our country is a complete s***show. Right?"
