Jelly Roll (singer)
Jason Bradley DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally as Jelly Roll (sometimes stylized as JellyRoll), is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter known for his collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, and Tech N9ne. In 2023, he won three CMT Music Awards for the song "Son of a Sinner".
Jelly Roll | |
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![]() Jelly Roll in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Jason Bradley DeFord[1][2] |
Born | [3] Antioch, Tennessee, U.S.[1] | December 4, 1984
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Labels |
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Website | jellyroll615 |
Early life
Jason DeFord was raised in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee.[5][6]
Career
Before his transition into country music with 2023's Whitsitt Chapel album, Jelly Roll launched his career in hip hop. His 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte reached over 6.3 million YouTube views.[7] This song led to the album Year Round by the hip-hop group SNO, released on the Hypnotize Minds label in April 2011 and produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J. SNO's song "Come Here White Girl" was named among "The 10 Most Memorable White Rapper Collaborations" by XXL.[8]
Jelly Roll released many mixtapes including the Gamblin' on a Whiteboy series and the Therapeutic Music series. His independently released debut solo studio album The Big Sal Story was released on October 26, 2012. He released two collaborative albums with Haystak, two collaborative albums with Lil Wyte, four collaborative albums with Struggle Jennings and one album under the group SNO with Lil Wyte and BPZ.
Jelly Roll's 2013 mixtape Whiskey, Weed, & Women was originally named Whiskey, Weed, & Waffle House,[5] but was later changed after the restaurant threatened 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 Waffle House logo.[9][10]
Jelly Roll made his Grand Ole Opry debut on November 9, 2021.[11] On July 7, 2022, he was invited by country singer Craig Morgan to join him on stage at the Opry to perform "Almost Home".[12]
On May 9, 2022, Jelly Roll scored his first number one on Rock Radio with the track “Dead Man Walking”. [13] In Jan 2023, Jelly Roll scored his first number 1 song on Country radio with his debut Country single “Son of a Sinner”, written by Jelly Roll and David Ray Stevens. The track was the second single from the 2021 album ‘Ballads of the Broken’ and also peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. [14] In Feb 2023, he made history with a record-breaking 25th week at number 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart.[15]
Jelly Roll sold out Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on December 9, 2022, to 15,000 fans and was joined by Chris Young, Sam Hunt, Riley Green, Shinedown, Ernest, Struggle Jennings, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko.[16] In the summer of 2023, he will embark on the 44-city ‘Backroad Baptism Tour’.[17]
At the 2023 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".[18][19]
Jelly Roll will release his new album Whitsitt Chapel featuring the single "Need A Favor" on June 2, 2023.[20]
Personal life
Jelly Roll is married to Bunnie DeFord, aka Bunnie XO, and has two children from a previous relationship.[21]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [22] |
US R&B [23] |
US Rap [24] |
US Indie [25] |
US Heat. [26] | ||
Year Round (with Lil Wyte & BPZ) |
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— | — | — | — | — |
Strictly Business (with Haystak) |
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— | 67 | — | — | 16 |
The Big Sal Story |
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— | — | — | — | — |
No Filter (with Lil Wyte) |
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— | 33 | 17 | 42 | — |
Business As Usual (with Haystak) |
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— | 42 | — | — | 11 |
Sobriety Sucks |
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— | 42 | — | 48 | 12 |
No Filter 2 (with Lil Wyte) |
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— | 47 | — | — | — |
Addiction Kills |
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— | — | — | — | 22 |
Waylon & Willie (with Struggle Jennings) |
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— | — | — | 28 | 4 |
Waylon & Willie II (with Struggle Jennings) |
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— | — | — | 17 | 6 |
Waylon & Willie III (with Struggle Jennings) |
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— | — | — | 25 | 4 |
Goodnight Nashville |
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— | — | — | 46 | 12 |
Whiskey Sessions II |
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— | — | — | — | — |
A Beautiful Disaster |
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97 | — | — | 9 | — |
Self Medicated |
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110 | — | — | 22 | — |
Waylon & Willie IV (with Struggle Jennings) |
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— | — | — | — | — |
Ballads of the Broken |
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159 | — | — | 21 | — |
Whitsitt Chapel |
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To be released |
Extended plays
Title | EP details |
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Whiskey Sessions |
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Crosses & Crossroads |
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Mixtapes
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Gamblin on a White Boy 4 |
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Mid-Grade Miracle (The Boston George Story) |
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Whiskey, Weed & Women |
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Biggest Loser |
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Therapeutic Music 5 |
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Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [27] |
US Alt. [28] |
US Country Songs [29] |
US Country Airplay [30] |
US Main. [31] |
US Rock [32] |
CAN [33] |
CAN Rock [34] | ||||||||
"Smoking Section" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Therapeutic Music 5 | ||||
"Hate Goes On" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Addiction Kills | ||||
"Only" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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"Wheels Fall Off" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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"I'm on It" (featuring Young Slugga, David Ray and Brabo Gator) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||
"Save Me"[36] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Self Medicated | |||||
"Dead Man Walking" | 2021 | — | 29 | — | — | 1 | 30 | — | 38 | Ballads of the Broken | |||||
"Son of a Sinner" | 2022 | 31 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 4 | 61 | — |
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"She" | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | Whitsitt Chapel | ||||||
"Need a Favor" | 58 | — | 15 | 18 | 6 | 5 | — | 50 | |||||||
"Unlive" (with Yelawolf) |
2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | ||||||
"Save Me" (with Lainey Wilson) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. |
As featured artist
Title | Year | Album |
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"House of Mirrors" (Hollywood Undead featuring Jelly Roll) | 2023 | Hotel Kalifornia |
Other charted and certified songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certification | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country Songs [29] | ||||
"Fall in the Fall" (with Struggle Jennings) |
2017 | — |
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Waylon & Willie II |
"Creature" (featuring Krizz Kaliko and Tech N9ne) |
2020 | — |
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A Beautiful Disaster |
"Bottle & Mary Jane" | — |
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"Son of the Dirty South" (Brantley Gilbert featuring Jelly Roll) |
2022 | 48 | TBA |
References
- "Jelly Roll biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- "ADDICTION KILLS". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- Piccotti, Tyler (April 6, 2023). "8 Things You Might Not Know About "Son of a Sinner" Singer Jelly Roll". Biography. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- Nicholson, Jessica (September 16, 2021). "Nashville Native Jelly Roll on Shifting From Hip Hop to Country-Rock: 'I Want to Change The Way Music Is Done on Those Streets'". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- Dodero, Camille (June 14, 2013). "The Story of the 450-Pound Rapper Who Loved Waffle House Too Much". Gawker.
- Dowling, Marcus K. (March 9, 2023). "Jelly Roll on his three 2023 CMT Music Award noms: 'A nomination calls for a celebration'". The Tennesseean. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
I'm just a kid from Antioch, Tennessee
- "JellyRoll Feat. Lil Wyte POP ANOTHER PILL – YouTube". YouTube. March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- "The 10 Most Memorable White Rapper Collaborations – XXL". XXL. January 26, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Paine, Jake (April 5, 2013). "JellyRoll Responds To Waffle House Cease & Desist, New Mixtape Artwork & Title". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Tishgart, Sierra (June 14, 2013). "Waffle House Screwed Over Its Biggest Fan, a Rapper Named Jelly Roll". Grub Street. New York Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Decker, David (October 15, 2021). "Jelly Roll Blows the Roof off the Fillmore Auditorium". Digital Beat Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Seller, Christine (July 7, 2022). "Craig Morgan Brings Jelly Roll To Tears With Heartfelt Gift At The Opry: "This Is A True Testimony That God Is Real"". Music Mayhem. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Wendowski, Andrew (May 9, 2022). "Jelly Roll Scores First-Ever No. 1 Radio Hit With "Dead Man Walking": "The Losers Win Again Baby!"". Music Mayhem. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Holthouse, Jerry (January 9, 2023). "Jelly Roll Scores His First Number One". Nashville.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Zellner, Xander (February 8, 2023). "Jelly Roll Breaks Record for Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart". Billbaord.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Watts, Cindy (December 12, 2022). "JELLY ROLL SELLS OUT NASHVILLE'S BRIDGESTONE ARENA WITH CHRIS YOUNG, SAM HUNT, STRUGGLE JENNINGS AND MORE". cmt.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Liptak, Carena (February 20, 2023). "Jelly Roll unleashes plans for Backroad Baptism Arena Tour". Taste of Country. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (April 5, 2023). "Jelly Roll Keeps Winning After CMT Music Awards With Big 'Son of a Sinner' and 'Need a Favor' Gains". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- Respers France, Lisa (April 3, 2023). "Jelly Roll reigns among first-time winners at the CMT Music Awards". CNN. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- Patton, Alli (March 18, 2023). "Jelly Roll Confirms Highly Anticipated New Album "Whitsitt Chapel"". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Peake, Amber (May 28, 2021). "Who is Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie? Rapper shares sweet family snap". The Focus. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- "Jelly Roll History: Country Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- "Jelly Roll History: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- "Jelly Roll History: Hot Rock & Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- "Jelly Roll Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- "Jelly Roll: Chart History: Canada Rock". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- "American certifications – Jelly Roll". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- Carsten, Chad T. (October 4, 2021). "Jelly Roll's "Save Me" Single Independently Goes Gold!". Faygoluvers. Retrieved April 8, 2022.