Former Rapper Embraces Faith, Country Music After Jail, Drug Addiction
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jelly Roll, known for his signature name and face tattoos, recently opened up about his troubled past and turn from rap to country music.
“The ‘Son of a Sinner’ singer, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, is unlike many artists who came before him. He grew up writing poetry in the suburbs of Nashville, and credits Johnny Cash, Bob Seger and James Taylor as musical influences, in addition to Three 6 Mafia and the hip-hop duo, UGK,” Fox News reported.
The singer opened up with Billboard about his troubled past. He finally gave up drugs when he felt the weight of its damage to himself and those around him.
“In the beginning, I did a lot of drugs. I drank a lot of codeine, a lot of cough syrup,” he told Billboard. “I took a lot of Xanax, did a lot of cocaine, just really took it overboard. I’ve had years – dude, I don’t remember years. Also, addiction for me is more than just my problems.”
“My child’s mother disappeared from her life for almost five years because of a heroin addiction,” he said. “Thankfully, she’s sober and back in her life now. My mother has struggled with addiction her whole life. When you grow up in a middle- and lower-class community, no one sees the effects of drug abuse like those people.”
DeFord, now a proclaimed Christian, was in and out of prison from age 14 to 23. At age 16, the judicial system charged him with aggravated robbery. The judge gave him an adult sentence.
“I never want to overlook the fact that it was a heinous crime,” DeFord said with emotion. “This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid that made the worst decision that he could have made in life and people could have got hurt and, by the grace of God, thankfully, nobody did.”
Jelly Roll shared that he wanted to make music that is more “impactful” than rap. The singer made his country music debut at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry in 2021.
“I knew that night that that was gonna be home for me,” he said. “When I walked out of the building, I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We’ll be coming in and out of this parking lot for the next 30 years.’”
“All of sudden, Jelly Roll went from a mainstay in dirty south rap to a genre-bending hitmaker in multiple genres,” American Songwriter reported.
Jelly Roll made a name for himself in country music with his faith-based album, “Whittsitt Chapel.” The tracks tell DeFord’s story through song.
Celebrity Evangelist Dylan Novak met with DeFord and spoke with him about his Christian views. Novak said DeFord’s album “made me cry several times while listening.”
One of the songs, “Church,” highlights DeFord’s sinful past and gives the gospel message to listeners. Its lyrics read:
I ain’t going where the wild things are, I ain’t going to the cigarette store
I ain’t going to the cold beer bar to check in on the Tennessee score
I’m just having me a talk with The Man, sendin’ my old soul on a search
They might judge me on this two-lane road, but little do they know
I’m going to church, I’m going to church, mm
But to save the world, to save you
To save your soul through Him
Christ Jesus Himself is telling you
That whoever hears His word
And believes in The One who sent Him
Will have eternal life and will not be condemned
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