Brown took to Twitter and stood up for Aldean in a since-deleted Tweet on Thursday.
Blanco Brown spoke out against accusations of racism leveled at fellow country singer Jason Aldean.
Amid the backlash against Aldean over the music video for his song "Try That in a Small Town," Brown took to Twitter on Thursday to defend the musician.
Brown wrote, in a since-deleted tweet, that "Aldeans [streams] Are Gonna Go Through The Roof" due to the uproar over the video, which many have accused of promoting racism and racial violence.
"I hate the words to that song but I don’t believe he’s a racist," Brown wrote. "[He was] one of the first to check on me in my time of need! Just bad song writing."
Brown was likely referring to his near-fatal motorcycle accident in August 2022 that left him hospitalized and required emergency surgery and treatment. It's unclear at the time what prompted Brown to delete the tweet sharing his support for the singer.
The song -- which was released in May -- really sparked controversy with its music video, which was released last week. The video was filmed in front of the massive American flag displayed on the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee -- the site of the 1927 lynching of Henry Choate.
The music video is interlaced with clips of protestors vandalizing cities in the wake of police brutality and racial unrest during the height of the pandemic. The visual imagery was called into question, as were the song's lyrics, which many have argued seem to be pro-gun and even pro-vigilante justice.
A portion of the lyrics in the track includes, "Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they're gonna round up / Well, that s**t might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / 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."
Aldean also sings about "good ol' boys, raised up right," taking matters into their own hands by "taking care of our own." That being said, Aldean is not credited as a writer of the song. The tune was penned by Neil Thrasher, Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy and Kelley Lovelace.
The debate over the music video has raged, with many musicians taking sides. Musician Jason Isbell took a swipe at the country star, tweeting, "Dare Aldean to write his next single himself. That’s what we try in my small town."
Isbell later doubled down, tweeting, "Ok here ya go @Jason_Aldean I’m challenging you to write a song yourself. All alone. If you’re a recording artist, make some art. I want to hear it."
Sheryl Crow also weighed in, highlighting some of the song's more aggressive lyrics, and commented, "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 added.
The music video was removed from broadcast circulation on Tuesday by Country Music Television and has been roundly criticized by many for its message.
In response to the frenzy surrounding his latest release, Aldean took to social media on Tuesday with a statement.
"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," he wrote. "There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it -- and there is not a single video clip that isn't real news footage -- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music -- this one goes too far."
The statement continued, "As many pointed out, I was present at Route 91 where so many lost their lives -- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. 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. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I've hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don't agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to -- that's what this song is about."
The music video’s production company, Tacklebox, told ET on Tuesday that the location is a "popular filming location outside of Nashville" and cited several music videos and movies that have been filmed there, including most recently the Lifetime Original movie Steppin' into the Holiday with Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer, a music video from Runaway June titled, "We Were Rich," a Paramount holiday film A Nashville Country Christmas with Tanya Tucker -- as well the Hannah Montana movie. The production company says, "Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false." Tacklebox also noted Aldean did not pick the location.
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