The headline on Billboard’s new feature on Jason Aldean quotes the country star as saying, “Don’t talk down about things you’ve never experienced.” Which would be questionable enough even if the interview that follows didn’t also feature Aldean talking down on something he’s most definitely never experienced: being black. Last year, Aldean got caught wearing blackface when, for some reason, he decided to dress up as Lil Wayne for Halloween. While promoting his new album, he broke his silence on the controversy and explained why he thinks people were wrong to take offense. “In this day and age people are so sensitive that no matter what you do, somebody is going to make a big deal out of it,” he says. “Me doing that had zero malicious intent … I get that race is a touchy subject, but not everybody is that way. Media tends to make a big deal out of things. If that was disrespectful to anyone, I by all means apologize. That was never my intention. It never crossed my mind.” Unfortunately, not everybody is touched by racism; Aldean has sadly gotten that right.
