Jelly Roll

Exploring the rich Southern heritage underpinning multiple genres, Tennessee rapper, vocalist, and songwriter Jelly Roll addresses addiction, hardship, and the drive toward brighter horizons by pairing Southern rap rhythms with emotive, blues-infused singing. His recordings span rugged Southern rock, R&B-inflected productions, country-leaning acoustic pieces, and intense hardcore rap across projects such as the 2020 release A Beautiful Disaster, the 2021 effort Ballads of the Broken, and 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel, which climbed to the top five of the Billboard 200, led the Rock Albums chart, and secured his initial Grammy Award nomination. The heartfelt Top Ten Hot Country Songs entry “I Am Not Okay” appears on his tenth studio album, Beautifully Broken, issued in 2024.

Born Jason DeFord, Jelly Roll took up rapping near 2005 and gained early underground traction through partnerships with Lil Wyte and Haystak. In 2011 he formed the group SNO alongside Wyte and BPZ, releasing the album Year Round, helmed by DJ Paul and Juicy J on the Hypnotize Minds label tied to Three 6 Mafia. His first independent full-length, The Big Sal Story, surfaced in 2012; the following year he revealed plans for the mixtape Whiskey, Weed & Waffle House, prompting a cease-and-desist from the restaurant chain and heated online exchanges that ultimately resolved with the project retitled Whiskey, Weed, & Women, after which the rapper affirmed Waffle House remained his preferred spot. By year’s end he and Haystak delivered the joint album Business as Usual.

The 2014 solo set Biggest Loser arrived next, accompanied by the EP Whiskey Sessions. Two years later came Sobriety Sucks, spotlighting Struggle on “Train Tracks” and Alexander King on “Need Nobody,” marking his first chart appearance across Top Heatseekers, Independent Albums, and the R&B Albums tally. He closed 2016 with No Filter 2 and followed in April 2017 with Addiction Kills. Further 2018 releases included the Struggle collaboration Waylon & Willie II & III plus the solo Goodnight Nashville, while 2019 brought a second Whiskey Sessions installment and the EP Crosses and Crossroads. March 2020 saw the full-length A Beautiful Disaster featuring Krizz Kaliko, Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, and additional guests, which reached number nine on the Billboard Independent Albums chart, succeeded that October by Self Medicated.

In 2021 Jelly Roll issued the concise Ballads of the Broken, shifting stylistic approaches track by track from country-tinged hooks to haunting, reflective pop tracks and incorporating eight complete productions alongside two demo versions; the collection entered the Billboard 200 and the top thirty of the U.S. Indie chart. Whitsitt Chapel emerged in 2023, propelled by the hit single “Need a Favor” and contributions from Brantley Gilbert, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, and Lainey Wilson, attaining the number-three position on the Billboard 200, number two on Country Albums, and the summit of Rock Albums while earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.

During 2024 he appeared on Joyner Lucas’ “Best for Me,” contributed to Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), and served as the opening musical guest for Saturday Night Live’s 50th season. He also unveiled his tenth studio album, Beautifully Broken, and earned a Top Ten Hot Country Songs placement with the candid “I Am Not Okay,” first performed at the season 25 finale of The Voice; the record further contains the gospel-inflected recovery anthem “Winning Streak,” the blues-driven “Born Again,” and the commanding Wiz Khalifa collaboration “Higher Than Heaven.”