Jason Aldean’s controversial music “Strive That in a Small City” has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Scorching 100. What’s extra, for the primary time in Billboard historical past, the highest three entires on the chart are all held by nation artists.

“Strive That in a Small City,” which has been criticized by artists like Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell for stoking violence, is up from its No. 2 spot on the charts final week. The music loved one of many largest gross sales week for a rustic launch in over 10 years, receiving 30.7 million streams and eight.8 million radio listens, in addition to promoting 175,000 copies.

Proper behind Aldean are Morgan Wallen’s “Final Evening” at No. 2 and Luke Combs’ cowl of Tracy Chapman’s “Quick Automotive” at No. 3 — additional proof that nation music has a novel skill to impress followers into business success.

For probably the most half, Aldean has defended “Strive That in a Small City,” insisting that the music  is a few prideful neighborhood, not a threatening one. That’s even supposing the music’s music video was shot the positioning of a lynching, and its lyric video references an assault on an anti-segregationist reporter.

Most not too long ago, Aldean likened the music’s lyrics to the response of vigilantes who got here collectively after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, noting that they’d have “beat the shit” out of the bombing suspects in the identical approach rural people may struggle crime of their properties.

The nation artist has wavered on one facet of the music, nonetheless. After many identified its racist undertones, Aldean edited the music video to now not embody footage of a Black Lives Matter protest.