About This Project

Jason Bradley DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally as Jelly Roll (originally stylized as JellyRoll), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He began his music career in 2003, but rose to mainstream fame with the release of his 2022 singles “Son of a Sinner” and “Need a Favor.”

“Son of a Sinner” earned him three awards at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. That same year, he was named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards and received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

Early Life

Jelly Roll was born and raised in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. His father worked as a meat salesman and part-time bookie, while his mother battled mental illness and addiction.

He was baptized at age 14, but around that same time began experimenting with drugs and eventually stopped attending church. “The same year I got baptized, I got arrested,” he recalled — marking the beginning of a decade-long cycle of incarceration. Throughout his teens and twenties, Jelly Roll was arrested multiple times for charges including drug possession with intent to distribute and aggravated robbery. While serving time, he earned his GED at the age of 23.

Career

Jelly Roll was inspired by Southern hip-hop legends like Three 6 Mafia, UGK, and 8Ball & MJG. He began selling mixtapes from his car, starting with The Plain Shmear Tape in 2003, and followed up with the four-part Gamblin’ on the White Boy series (2004–2011). His 2010 collaboration with Lil Wyte, “Pop Another Pill,” amassed over 6.3 million views on YouTube and led to the release of Year Round by the group SNO, which included Jelly Roll.

Over the years, he released numerous solo and collaborative projects with artists like Struggle Jennings, Haystak, and Tech N9ne. His 2013 mixtape Whiskey, Weed, & Women was originally titled Whiskey, Weed, & Waffle House, but had to be renamed after legal threats from Waffle House. The revised cover featured a “cease and desist” stamp where the logo once was.

In 2021, Jelly Roll made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. He returned to the Opry in July 2022, joining Craig Morgan on stage for a performance of “Almost Home.” His song “Dead Man Walking” hit No. 1 on rock radio in May 2022, and in January 2023, “Son of a Sinner” became his first No. 1 hit on country radio. Co-written with Ernest and David Ray Stevens, the song was the second single from his album Ballads of the Broken and also reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

In early 2023, he set a record with a 25-week run at No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. On December 9, 2022, he sold out Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, performing for 15,000 fans alongside guests like Chris Young, Sam Hunt, Riley Green, Shinedown, and Tech N9ne.

Jelly Roll embarked on his 44-city Backroad Baptism Tour in summer 2023. At the 2023 CMT Music Awards, “Son of a Sinner” won Male Video of the Year, Breakthrough Male Video of the Year, and Digital-First Performance of the Year.

On June 2, 2023, he released his ninth studio album Whitsitt Chapel, featuring the single “Need a Favor.” In November 2023, he won New Artist of the Year at the 57th Annual CMA Awards. In January 2024, Jelly Roll testified before the U.S. Senate in support of anti-fentanyl legislation, saying, “I was a part of the problem. I am now standing as a man who wants to be part of the solution.”

In April 2024, Jelly Roll was sued by a Pennsylvania wedding band named Jellyroll over trademark infringement. The dispute was later settled privately. He appeared in the country music documentary Rebel Country in June 2024, which opened with a dramatized reenactment of one of his early arrests.

In July 2024, he featured on “Somebody Save Me” from Eminem’s twelfth album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), a track sampling Jelly Roll’s song “Save Me.” He also appeared in the song’s official video. That same month, he made his first international appearance at the Meridian Centre in Ontario, Canada.

On August 23, 2024, Jelly Roll announced his tenth studio album Beautifully Broken, which was released on October 11, 2024.

Recent Work

In September 2024, he made his acting debut on the television drama Tulsa King alongside Sylvester Stallone, performing “I Am Not Okay” in the episode. That same month, he was the first musical guest on the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, performing “Liar” and “Winning Streak.” He also performed in SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, delivering a Johnny Cash medley with The Roots and joining Snoop Dogg for “Last Dance with Mary Jane.”

In November 2024, Jelly Roll released “Run It”, featured on the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie soundtrack. The accompanying music video, released December 3, included film footage and animated sequences styled after the end credits.

In 2025, he collaborated with Brandon Lake on a reimagined version of “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” which won Song of the Year at the K-Love Fan Awards. He also featured on “Amen” by Shaboozey, released on April 25, 2025, as part of the deluxe edition of Shaboozey’s album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going.