Artist Who Painted Viral Jason Aldean Mural Speaks Out

Jason Aldean’s new double album is titled Macon, Georgia. It’s a nod to his hometown in the central part of the state. A local artist painted a mural to celebrate the community’s native son, and several folks thought it missed the mark. It caused such a viral stir that Aldean himself was asked to comment on the effort.

He was on the Big D and Bubba Show shortly after, and the hosts asked him if he’d seen it. His father was actually the first to send him a photo of the mural back home.

“My dad sent it to me,” he said. “And he’s like, ‘This is cool, they just kind of did you dirty.’ I don’t want to offend the artist because, like I said, I do appreciate the gesture, but I’m like, ‘Gosh, man!’”

The internet had a lot of jokes about the depiction looking like Beavis & Butthead. One of the hosts of the show mentioned that it looked a bit like a caricature drawn by a sidewalk artist at a theme park like Disney. In either case, the mural isn’t the most flattering depiction of the “Trouble With a Heartbreak” singer.

Jason Aldean Mural Artist Speaks Out

The artist is now speaking up about the mural to 13WMAZ in Macon.

Shamika Bussey is the woman that painted the mural on the side of South Plaza Shopping Center in Macon. Some residents already had issues with people using the side of the building as a canvas.

“I love the hate,” Bussey said of the Jason Aldean mural that she painted. “I was laughing when he said his dad said I did him dirty.”

The idea for the mural wasn’t Bussey’s. Her friends asked her to do the project and she agreed. The idea came about a year ago.

“I did it in the rain,” she said. “In two hours because of the rain. And I stood on the top of my truck and did it, and I put my heart into it and I felt so proud when it was done. Nobody could take that away from me.”

All of the attention has made Bussey a bit of a local celebrity herself. The artist will host a meet and greet at South Plaza on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon. During the event, she will offer prints of the mural for sale.

Meanwhile, Jason Aldean continues to make his hometown proud. They’ll all be able to tune in to ABC on August 3 at 7 p.m. to see him on the CMA Fest special. Two of his performances from the June event in Nashville will be featured in the broadcast. “She’s Country” and his latest hit “Trouble With a Heartbreak” will be included. The show is hosted by Dierks Bentley and Elle King.