Jelly Roll (singer)

Jason Bradley DeFord(born December 4, 1984), known professionally asJelly Roll(originally stylized asJellyRoll), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Beginning his career in 2003, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his 2022singles"Son of a Sinner" and "Need a Favor".
"Son of a Sinner" won threeCMT Music Awardsin 2023.That same year, he won forNew Artistat theCMA Awards, and was nominated forBest New Artistat the66th Annual Grammy Awards.
DeFord was born and raised in theAntiochneighborhood ofNashville, Tennessee.His father was a meat salesman and worked as abookieon the side; his mother suffered frommental illnessandaddiction.
DeFord wasbaptizedat age 14, but says around that time he began "dabbling" in drugs and stopped going to church. "The same year that I got baptized, I got arrested, and that started what would be a 10 year cycle of incarceration in and out," he said.From his teenage years into his twenties, DeFord was arrested several times and spent time in jail for various charges andfeloniesincluding possession with intent to distribute and aggravatedrobbery.While imprisoned, he earned hisGEDat the age of 23.
Jelly Roll launched his career in hip-hop after being inspired by rappers such asThree 6 Mafia,UGK, and8Ball & MJG. He soldmixtapesout of his car,starting with a string of releases from his first projectThe Plain Shmear Tapein 2003 then following with the four partGamblin' on the White Boyseries from 2004 to 2011. His 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" withMemphisrapperLil Wytereached over 6.3 millionYouTubeviews.This song led to the albumYear Roundby the hip-hop group SNO, of which Jelly Roll was a member. Over the next few years, Jelly Roll released many mixtapes and independent solo albums including collaborations with Lil Wyte,Struggle Jennings,Haystak, andTech N9ne.Jelly Roll's 2013 mixtapeWhiskey, Weed, & Womenwas originally namedWhiskey, Weed, & Waffle House,but was later changed afterWaffle Housethreatened legal action over the use of their name and logo on the cover. The replacement cover featured a "cease and desist" stamp in place of the restaurant's logo.
Jelly Roll made hisGrand Ole Oprydebut on November 9, 2021.On July 7, 2022, he was invited by fellow country singerCraig Morganto join him on stage at the Opry to perform "Almost Home".On May 9, 2022, Jelly Roll scored his first number one on rock radio with the track "Dead Man Walking".In January 2023, Jelly Roll scored his first number-one song oncountry radiowith his debut country single "Son of a Sinner", written by himself,Ernest, and David Ray Stevens. The track was the second single from his eighth studio albumBallads of the Brokenand also peaked at number 8 on theBillboardHot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.In February 2023, he made history with a record-breaking 25th week at number 1 onBillboard'sEmerging Artistschart.Jelly Roll sold out Nashville'sBridgestone Arenaon December 9, 2022, to 15,000 fans and was joined byChris Young,Sam Hunt,Riley Green,Shinedown, Ernest, Struggle Jennings, Tech N9ne, andKrizz Kaliko.In the summer of 2023, he completed a 44-city 'Backroad Baptism Tour'.At the2023 CMT Music Awards, Jelly Roll won for Male Video of the Year, Male Breakthrough Video of the Year, and Digital-First Performance of the Year, all for the song "Son of a Sinner".Jelly Roll released his ninth studio albumWhitsitt Chapelfeaturing the single "Need a Favor" on June 2, 2023.In November 2023, Jelly Roll won the award forNew Artist of the Yearat the57th Annual Country Music Association Awards. In January 2024, Jelly Roll testified before the U.S. Congress, in support of anti-fentanyllegislation.Explaining his perspective as a former distributor of illegal drugs, Jelly Roll stated before theU.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee“I was a part of the problem. I am here now, standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution".
In April 2024, Jelly Roll was sued by Pennsylvania-based wedding band Jellyroll for trademark infringement.The case was later settled out of court.In June 2024, he appeared in the country music documentaryRebel Country. The film opens with a reenactment of his arrest in Tennessee.In July 2024, Jelly Roll was featured onEminem's twelfth albumThe Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)on the track "Somebody Save Me", which sampled his song "Save Me". He appeared in its music video released the following month.On July 8, Jelly Roll made his first international appearance at theMeridian CentreinSt. Catharines,Ontario.On August 23, 2024, Jelly Roll announced his tenth studio albumBeautifully Broken. It was released on October 11, 2024.
Jelly Roll made his television debut on the television drama seriesTulsa KingwithSylvester Stallone. The episode was released in September 2024 and featured Jelly Roll performing a rendition of "I Am Not Okay".
In September 2024, Jelly Roll was the first musical guest of the50th seasonofSaturday Night Liveperforming "Liar" and "Winning Streak."Jelly Roll also appeared onSNL50: The Homecoming Concertbacked by The Roots, performing aJohnny Cashmedley consisting of "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Ring of Fire" and joiningSnoop Doggfor "Last Dance with Mary Jane."
In November 2024, Jelly Roll released the song "Run It", from the soundtrack of the filmSonic the Hedgehog 3.On December 3, 2024, a music video for the song was released, featuring clips from the film and original footage in the style of its end credits sequence.
He collaborated withBrandon Lakeon a version of Lake's single "Hard Fought Hallelujah", which was released in 2025.
Jelly Roll has been married to his wife Alyssa DeFord, known as "Bunnie XO", since 2016. The couple renewed their wedding vows in 2023. He has two children from previous relationships: daughter Bailee (b. 2008), over whom he and Bunnie have full custody, and son Noah (b. 2016).
DeFord returned to his Christian faith when he was 39 and his daughter, who was 14 at the time, expressed an interest in being baptized. "I should go see what kind of cult she's going to," he recalled thinking, "because that's kind of how I looked at church at that time. And then I went, and I was reminded of the genuineness that can be in those walls, too. I was reminded of the humanity and the compassion and the forgiveness, the love and the community, more than anything watching her and all of her friends there."In 2025, he said, "I might wear it a little different than other people, I might say things that other Christians don't think are right to say, but ultimately, I have a heart for God and I have a heart for Jesus”.
In 2024, DeFord testified before theUnited States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairsin support of Sen.Tim Scott's Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act. "I was a part of the problem. I am here now, standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution ... I brought my community down. I hurt people. I was the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about, just like these drug dealers are doing right now when they're mixing every drug on the market with fentanyl and they're killing the people we love," he said.
Studio albums
Collaborative albums