TMZ.com

Jason Aldean isn't backing down from the storm of criticism he received over his song, "Try That in a Small Town," which many on the left believe is downright racist.

The country star addressed a packed crowd at his Friday concert in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The footage begins with Aldean pacing back and forth on stage, while saying,  “It’s been a long week, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that.”

He then said everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions, but that doesn't mean what they say is true.

Aldean went on to explain he's proud to be an American who loves his country and hopes to restore it “to what it once was before all this bulls—t started happening to us."

He ended his 2-minute speech by addressing cancel culture and how it can "try to ruin your life."

By contrast, liberals were totally beside themselves over Aldean's music video for "Try That in a Small Town," which was featured on the Country Music Television (CMT) network. It showed images of violent Black Lives Matter protests in cities across the country to protest the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police.

Aldean's fans seemed to dig what he said. They all hooted, hollered and chanted "USA."

During the video, Aldean was seen performing outside Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which was the site of the 1946 Columbia Race Riot. The uprising led to the near lynching of the first Black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Last week, activist groups called for boycotts of the network, prompting CMT to yank the video from its airwaves. ABC aired his performance of the song last week during their broadcast from the "CMA Fest" concert in Nashville.

Bam Margera's turning up the heat in his beef with the 'Jackass' crew, taking shots at Johnny Knoxville, Wee Man, Steve-O and director Jeff Tremaine.

Bam's got a feature on a new single called "Feel Like Bam" by rappers Cult Shotta and Tanboymiguel ... and he uses his verse to rap about how bad his old 'Jackass' buddies are at skateboarding, while challenging Knoxville to a fight and blaming him for ruining his skateboarding career.

We are told Bam met the rappers at a studio in Los Angeles where he was working on music and asked to jump on one of their tracks.

TMZ has the first look at the music video ... and when Bam's not rapping or taking cheap shots, he's making out with his new girlfriend.

Bam is also sending a message to Tremaine, calling out the director for what he sees as unfair movie contracts for the stars ... throwing in some explicit insults for good measure.

Harry Styles has been on tour for, like, ever now, it seems -- but the journey's finally wrapping in Europe ... and his #1 fan was there in person to send him off in epic fashion.

Of course, we're talking about James Corden ... the now-former late night talk show host, who's a bona fide Harry stan -- and who actually showed up in the flesh on Saturday to help HS cap off his long-running "Love on Tour" at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

The comedian was actually among just a handful of famous faces on hand to watch Harry perform -- although he was certainly the most recognizable. Others included Rob Stringer, Kid Harpoon, Ben Winston, and additional members of Harry's close circle of friends and family.

Now, as for whether James just looked on from the VIP area ... well, not exactly. There's video of the dude getting right in the mix among HS' many fans -- dancing his face off.

Indeed ... the guy was absolutely living it up/singing along to Harry's set -- again proving he's crazy about the guy's music, which he's made very clear over the years in sit-down interviews with the singer ... or even in "Carpool Karaoke." Corden loves him some Styles.

As you know, Harry's been touring for almost 2 years straight now ... having traveled the world and packing out stadiums and venues all over, just about everywhere he's performed.

His time on the road has been memorable. In addition to his many eccentric outfits -- and, at times, wardrobe malfunctions -- he's also ... had lots of crap thrown at him onstage (some of which has made contact), helped fans do baby gender reveals, trotted out tons of big-name guest acts to sing with him, gotten quite sick, won Grammys ... and, of course, spurred many people -- including security guards -- to boogie down on the floor.

Offstage, he's made headlines as well ... including his relationship with Olivia Wilde -- which proved dramatic. And yes, his other romantic interests since have also turned heads as well.

Machine Gun Kelly went off at the O.C. Fair after a dude decided to indelicately compliment Megan Fox ... according to the brother of the guy MGK swung at.

Nelson Zuniga tells TMZ ... he and his fam were waiting to get on the UFO ride Thursday night, when MGK and Megan stepped off it.

His little brother, Angel, recognized Megan, telling her she was "beautiful as f***' ... which triggered the now-viral ordeal.

Nelson says the comment enraged MGK, who retaliated with a slap. He says his youngest brother tried to punch MGK but missed.

As for Angel's comment about Megan, Nelson says it was a compliment and MGK should have taken it as such.

As we reported, MGK and Megan's security guard swooped in to push Nelson's brothers back, but he accidentally ended up shoving Megan in the process.

Tony Bennett's music will leave a lasting impression in the history of the business, and his death is already hitting home for millions ... with memorials popping up around the U.S.A.

Check out the beautiful flowers laid next to Tony's statue at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The arrangement was reportedly ordered by the hotel itself ... and the building served as the first place Tony ever sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" back in 1961.

Fans also flocked to Tony's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday to pay their respects and leave flowers on his marker ... a common sign after a celeb death on the Walk.

Of course, New York City is also showing love to Tony, there's been a bouquet left on a bench in Central Park -- the same spot Tony posed for a cute pic with his pooch while out on a walk.

As we reported ... Tony died at home in NYC Friday after a several-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. The singer was first diagnosed in 2016 but didn't announce it until 2021 ... he last performed at Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga in 2021.

RIP to a legend.

Megan Fox might be bruised after a night out with Machine Gun Kelly at the Orange County Fair -- their bodyguard took down an alleged attacker, and she got caught in the middle.

The couple hit up the fair Thursday and as they were getting off a ride, witnesses say some guy tried to punch MGK. Bad idea when you see the mountain of a man who was protecting them.

The video starts with their bodyguard slamming the guy back into a barricade -- you can see him in white behind Megan ... who, unfortunately, caught some friendly fire. She also got shoved into the fencing during the brief altercation.

MGK was quick to pull his girl out of the mess before all 3 headed out ... but the whole thing certainly drew a lot of attention.

BTW, no better sign that Megan and MGK's relationship is back on solid ground like a trip to the O.C. Fair -- it's a big couples thing in SoCal.

A Boygenius track got some serious praise from former President Barack Obama ... but band member Lucy Dacus isn't thrilled about the shout-out.

"Not Strong Enough" by Lucy's group -- comprised of fellow female artists Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker -- snagged a spot on BO's summer playlist ... but Lucy replied to the news on Twitter Thursday, writing "war criminal :(."

It's unclear why Lucy called the former prez out -- he does annual lists like this with his favorite movies, books, and songs ... and creators are usually over the moon when their work ends with Obama's stamp of approval.

Other folks among the ranks of Boygenius -- according to Obama -- were Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Janelle Monae, Bob Dylan, SZA, Luke Combs, Ice Spice, and Nicki Minaj ... safe to say it's a HUGE compliment.

For what it's worth, Lucy's been pretty outspoken when it comes to politics over the years -- she's shown support for Bernie Sanders in the past, called Donald Trump an "evil, bigoted man," and Boygenius did a Nashville show in drag, protesting anti-drag bills.

The trio used this year's Coachella performance to fight for equality ... with Lucy supporting the safety of transgender children, Phoebe told the crowd, "F*** Ron DeSantis."

Tony Bennett, the legendary singer and songwriter of numerous classic American standards is dead ... according to his publicist

Sylvia Weiner confirmed to the Associated Press that Tony died Friday at his home in New York City. While no cause of death was revealed, Tony had battled Alzheimer's disease ... he first announced his diagnosis in 2016.

Tony set a standard for American crooners with timeless hits like his 1962 classic, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco," and, in the process, earned generations of fans and admirers within the music industry ... from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

He released more than 70 albums over a career that spanned 7 decades and earned him 19 Grammys. Most recently, he recorded, performed and toured with Lady Gaga ... who had a deep admiration for him, personally and professionally.

In fact, his last public appearance came with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in August 2021, two months before his last release, the Bennett-Gaga set “Love For Sale,” the sequel to their chart-topping 2014 collaboration “Cheek to Cheek.”

That album enabled him to break his own record as the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. He was 88 at the time.

- Three years earlier, he topped the charts with “Duets II,” featuring such contemporary stars as Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse, in her last studio recording

His rapport with Winehouse was captured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Amy,” which showed Bennett patiently encouraging the insecure young singer through a performance of “Body and Soul.”

Despite his medical challenges, Tony continued performing and recording until 2021.

Tony was 96.

Jeanine Pirro says Jason Aldean intentionally filmed his "Try That in a Small Town" video in the same place where a Black teen was lynched ... because Black Lives Matter protestors are still breaking the law 100 years later.

Yeah, read that again, or even better ... watch the video, because it's pretty stunning. During Wednesday's panel discussion on "The Five" about Aldean's lightning rod of a hit song ... the Fox News host took up for Aldean's music video being shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Tennessee.

One of the reasons the music video's become so controversial is the fact an 18-year-old Black man was lynched at that location in 1927 -- but Pirro says it's the perfect place for Aldean to send a message about BLM.

"I think he's trying to show that there hasn't been that much progress. That Black Lives Matter is violating the law themselves at this point ... rioting and burning. That's what happened 100 years later."

Translation: Black people are still committing crimes, just as that 18-year-old did, Pirro's eyes, 96 years ago??? It certainly comes off as pro-vigilante justice, which is one of the reasons critics and the NAACP have been ripping Aldean's song.

Jennifer Lopez got locked out of a workout session and then later took out some frustration on the paparazzi with an f-bomb ... and it's all on video.

J Lo was trying to get inside Tracy Anderson Method Studio in Studio City for a Wednesday afternoon workout, but her key card wasn't working ... and she ended up waiting outside the locked door before someone let her inside.

Following the workout, Jennifer was not in a good mood despite the endorphin release ... swearing at paparazzi as she climbed into a waiting SUV.

J Lo told the photogs ... "Go away. F*** you. Bye." While we can't tell for certain if she was truly mad, it certainly seemed like a not-so-friendly delivery. She and her team then sped off.

Jennifer's been on the defensive lately it seems ... earlier this month, she caught some heat for her new alcohol brand and shot back with a video response.

Jason Aldean's hit song, and its accompanying music video, about small towns in America is sparking huge debate across the country ... and, now the NAACP is joining the convo.

The Tennessee chapter of the civil rights org is strongly condemning the country singer -- President Gloria Sweet-Love tells us Jason's tone, his message and the imagery he's using are all deeply offensive to people of color, especially Black people.

Sweet-Love says the Tennessee State Conference NAACP, as an organization, finds the song/music vid for "Try That in a Small Town" awful and racist.

She adds, in their eyes, the lyrics are bad enough, but Aldean's adding insult to injury by filming the video in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, TN ... where a Black man was lynched in 1927.

Making matters worse -- GSL says the KKK has recently been hanging flyers in that town as well, and Aldean's project is only adding unneeded fuel to a fire.

Sweet-Love goes on to say she believes Aldean's track is clearly promoting racism and violence, adding Tennessee doesn't need that -- instead, she says the focus of artists should be uniting people, and protecting their children and communities.

While Aldean seems to be inviting rancor ... Sweet-Love says he should, instead, apologize now -- echoing what a lot of others have said about this, including Sheryl Crow.

As we've reported ... JA himself has vehemently denied promoting any racism or violence in the song -- and says it only reflects the community he's familiar with ... not to mention sentiments he says people he knows share. In other words, he ain't walking back anything.

CMT has already yanked the song/vid from rotation ... and Sweet-Love says TN's NAACP chapter appreciates that gesture, telling us it was the right move all things considered.

ABC will not edit out Jason Aldean's controversial hit, "Try That in a Small Town," on Wednesday's "CMA Fest," but viewers will not see a frame of the music video ... sources tell TMZ.

"CMA Fest" was filmed between June 8th and 11th at various venues in Nashville. Aldean was one of the headliners, who sang the song that was rising on the charts.

The song has become a lightning rod because of the lyrics combined with the newly-released music video, with images of Black Lives Matter protests, flag burning, and aggression toward police. The music video was also shot outside the same courthouse where there was a brutal lynching years ago. Folks on social media have ripped Aldean, claiming his song is a right-wing dog whistle.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, ABC will air Aldean's performance but none of the music video will appear in the show. For the record, the music video was released after the festival. ABC could have used the music video in the show open or promos, but our sources say the network has taken a hard pass on that.

Aldean has defended the song, saying it has nothing to do with BLM but rather it's an anthem honoring neighbors helping each other in small towns.

Clearly, not everyone's buying it, but enough people are to propel the song to #1 on iTunes.

Rolling Loud Miami kicks off this weekend with plenty of side projects to accompany the main adventure, just like the youth basketball clinic the organizers slam-dunked Wednesday.

Festival founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, teamed up with the Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem & Haywood Highsmith and 50 kids from the Miami Gardens Life Skills & Summer Thrill camp ... as the official tip-off for the Rolling Loud Miami Week.

Udonis, being a Miami native and a 20-year vet of the Heat says the Rolling Loud clinic was especially personal for him, as he sees his former self in so many youth today.

Tariq assisted with both the DJing duty and skills training and we're told all the kids at the event had a blast.

Rolling Loud Miami Week will be booming with local community initiatives with familiar sponsors designed to inspire and inform the kids ... great time-fillers for their current school-free days.

On Thursday, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America will team with DGK Skateboards for a skate park clinic, that'll provide the 50 youth participants with skateboards and safety equipment to instill the basics.

Then on Friday, the Black Music Action Coalition will host a rally with NY Congressman Jamall Bowman and Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson to discuss the ongoing controversy of targeting rapper's lyrics.

Of course, the 3-day music fest will bring things home ... with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky serving as the headliners this go around.

Jason Aldean's new song has been hit with loads of controversy for its lyrics and music video ... but apparently, fans are still digging it -- because it's a chart-topper.

"Try That in a Small Town" has been called out for being threatening toward people with anti-police and anti-American beliefs. The song was first released in May, but it's been climbing the charts on multiple platforms lately ... and hit the #1 spot Tuesday on iTunes for songs in the U.S.

It's also #9 on Amazon's Hot New Releases list -- and his recently released video's trending on YouTube, reaching #12 amongst all things music on the site. Remember, CMT pulled the video from its channel this week as anger ramped up.

As we reported, Jason's been getting called out for his track and the music video ... which was filmed in front of the Tennessee courthouse where an 18-year-old Black man was lynched almost 100 years ago.

Jason claimed there was no ill intention behind the lyrics, telling his fans it had nothing to do with race ... but instead was just about growing up in a tight-knit community.

Fellow singer Sheryl Crow let him have it Wednesday, saying folks in small towns are sick of the violence happening in our country -- adding his song only supports more hate in America.

We discussed the controversy surrounding the song on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Post Malone is a man of his word, fulfilling a promise made to a huge fan who'd gone through a life-altering medical episode, and we've got the pics from the super sweet face-to-face.

The whole thing started last year when Garrett Belanger's sister Taylor made a Tik Tok detailing his story and Post responded. Garrett, a longtime Post Malone supporter, suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2022 -- and he's been slowly (but surely) recovering following a coma.

Post actually sent Garrett a bunch of merch and a video last August -- not long after he came out of the coma -- telling him to hit him up whenever he was ready to come to a show and rock out ... and on Monday, he finally got that chance at Post's concert in Buffalo, NY.

On Monday, Garrett, his sister Taylor, family and friends took Post up on his offer -- getting to enjoy the singer's show. We're told not only did PM get them regular tickets ... but he and his camp rolled out the red carpet for Garrett and his loved ones with VIP tickets and a backstage meet and greet.

The photos are pretty awesome -- you can see Posty and Garrett hugging it out, and Garrett looks absolutely stoked. While he can't talk or walk just yet ... Taylor says Garrett can communicate by blinking now, and he was more than aware he was meeting his idol.

In addition to the meet-and-greet ... the family brought Post a Garrett's Army shirt that he put on while posing for the pictures. Considering how long this has been in the works ... it's truly full circle.

Garrett's family has started a GoFundMe to help with his care and recovery.

Sheryl Crow is coming after Jason Aldean -- saying his heavily-criticized new song spews nothing but violence -- echoing what many online have been up in arms about.

The "All I Wanna Do" singer didn't hold back on Twitter Wednesday morning about Jason's single, "Try That In A Small Town" ... which talks about bringing anti-police and anti-American views to a small community, saying "See how far ya make it down the road."

Sheryl, who says she is from a small town, thinks people in places like that are also tired of the rise in violence in the country ... calling the song "lame."

She adds, "You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting."

For those unaware, Sheryl's referring to the horrifying 2017 Las Vegas shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival -- Jason was performing when Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd from Mandalay Bay.

As we reported, Jason's been receiving hate over this track ... and he responded to the communal noise Tuesday, saying the idea that it has racist and hateful undertones is BS.

Folks were pissed about his music video, too -- which was shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Tennessee ... the same place where 18-year-old African-American Henry Choate was lynched in 1927.