Jelly Roll
Jelly Roll in 2024
Born	Jason Bradley DeFord[1][2] (1984-12-04)December 4, 1984 (age 40)[3] Antioch, Tennessee, U.S.[1]
Other names	JellyRoll
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Alisa DeFord ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Southern hip-hop[1] country country rock[4]
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Works	Discography
Labels	Slumerican Bad Apple Inc. War Dog Wyte Music BBR
Musical artist
Website	jellyroll615.com

Jason Bradley DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally asJelly Roll (originally stylized asJellyRoll), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Beginning his music career in 2003, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his 2022 singles "Son of a Sinner" and "Need a Favor".

"Son of a Sinner" won threeCMT Music Awards in 2023.^[5] That same year, he won the award forNew Artist at theCMA Awards, and was also nominated for theBest New Artist award at the66th Annual Grammy Awards.

DeFord was born and raised in theAntioch neighborhood ofNashville, Tennessee.^[6][7] His father was a meat salesman and worked as abookie on the side; his mother suffered frommental illness andaddiction.^[8]

DeFord wasbaptized at 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.^[9] From his teenage years into his twenties, DeFord was arrested several times and spent time in jail for various charges andfelonies including possession with intent to distribute and aggravatedrobbery.^[4][8] While imprisoned, he earned hisGED at the age of 23.^[8]

Jelly Roll launched his career in hip-hop after being inspired by rappers such asThree 6 Mafia,UGK, and8Ball & MJG. He soldmixtapes out of his car,^[8] starting with a string of releases from his first project,The Plain Shmear Tape, in 2003 then following with the four-partGamblin' on the White Boy series from 2004 to 2011. His 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" withMemphis rapperLil Wyte reached over 6.3 millionYouTube views.^[10] This song led to the albumYear Round by 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.^[11] Jelly Roll's 2013 mixtapeWhiskey, Weed, & Women was originally namedWhiskey, Weed, & Waffle House,^[6] but was later changed afterWaffle House 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 restaurant's logo.^[12][13]

Jelly Roll made hisGrand Ole Opry debut on November 9, 2021.^[14] On July 7, 2022, he was invited by fellow country singerCraig Morgan to join him on stage at the Opry to perform "Almost Home".^[15] On May 9, 2022, Jelly Roll scored his first number one on rock radio with the track "Dead Man Walking".^[16] In January 2023, Jelly Roll scored his first number-one song oncountry radio with 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 album,Ballads of the Broken, and also peaked at number 8 on theBillboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.^[17] In February 2023, he made history with a record-breaking 25th week at number 1 onBillboard'sEmerging Artists chart.^[18] Jelly Roll sold out Nashville'sBridgestone Arena on December 9, 2022, to 15,000 fans and was joined byChris Young,Sam Hunt,Riley Green,Shinedown, Ernest, Struggle Jennings, Tech N9ne, andKrizz Kaliko.^[19] In the summer of 2023, he completed a 44-city 'Backroad Baptism Tour'.^[20] 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".^[21][22]Jelly Roll released his ninth studio album,Whitsitt Chapel, featuring the single "Need a Favor" on June 2, 2023.^[23] In November 2023, Jelly Roll won the award forNew Artist of the Year at the57th Annual Country Music Association Awards. In January 2024, Jelly Roll testified before the U.S. Congress, in support of anti-fentanyl legislation.^[24] 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".^[25]

In April 2024, Jelly Roll was sued by Pennsylvania-based wedding band Jellyroll for trademark infringement.^[26] The case was later settled out of court.^[27] In June 2024, he appeared in the country music documentaryRebel Country. The film opens with a reenactment of his arrest in Tennessee.^[28][29] In July 2024, Jelly Roll was featured onEminem's twelfth album,The 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.^[30] On July 8, Jelly Roll made his first international appearance at theMeridian Centre inSt. Catharines,Ontario.^[31] On August 23, 2024, Jelly Roll announced his tenth studio album,Beautifully Broken. It was released on October 11, 2024.^[32]

In September 2024, Jelly Roll was the first musical guest of the50th season ofSaturday Night Live performing "Liar" and "Winning Streak."^[33][34] Jelly Roll also appeared onSNL50: The Homecoming Concert^[35] backed byThe Roots, performing aJohnny Cash medley consisting of "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Ring of Fire" and joiningSnoop Dogg for "Last Dance with Mary Jane."^[36]

In November 2024, Jelly Roll released the song "Run It", from the soundtrack of the filmSonic the Hedgehog 3.^[37] 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 Lake on a version of Lake's single "Hard Fought Hallelujah", which was released in 2025.^[38] This version won the "Song of the Year" award at the 2025K-Love Fan Awards, which is voted on by fans of Christian music.^[39]

Jelly Roll is featured on the song "Amen" by American musicianShaboozey, released on April 25, 2025. The track is included on the complete edition of Shaboozey's third studio album,Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going.

On August 8, 2025, he released the single "Holy Water" withMarshmello.^[40]

Jelly Roll made his television debut on the television drama seriesTulsa King withSylvester Stallone. The episode was released in September 2024 and featured Jelly Roll performing a rendition of "I Am Not Okay".^[41] He also appeared inFire Country as Noah, a nursing home worker who gives Vince Leone positive advice. His song "Dreams Don't Die" was used as background for the episode.^{[42][better source needed]}

Jelly Roll started making appearances for the Americanprofessional wrestling promotionWWE with a performance atSummerSlam 2024, after which he delivered achokeslam and achair shot to bothAustin TheoryandGrayson Waller. On July 11, 2025, Jelly Roll performed onWWE SmackDown where he was interrupted byLogan Paul, setting up a rivalry with Paul andDrew McIntyre and an alliance withRandy Orton. Jelly Roll appeared atSaturday Night's Main Event XL the next night, aiding Orton in his match against McIntyre and attempted to fend off Paul, establishing himself as ababyface. It was subsequently announced that Jelly Roll would compete in atag team match with Orton against McIntyre and Paul at that yearsSummerSlam. On Night 1 of the event on August 2, Jelly Roll and Orton lost to McIntyre and Paul.

On August 31, Jelly Roll was seen as a spectator forClash in Paris.

Jelly Roll's "Liar" is included as a featured soundtrack song in the video gameNASCAR 25.

Jelly Roll has been married to his wife Alisa DeFord, known as "Bunnie XO", since 2016. The couple renewed their wedding vows in 2023.^[43]

He has two children from previous relationships, a daughter, over whom he and Bunnie have full custody, and a son.^[44]

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."^[9] 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”.^[45]

In 2024, DeFord testified before theUnited States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in 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.^[46]

Studio albums

• The Big Sal Story (2012)
• Sobriety Sucks (2016)
• Addiction Kills (2017)
• Goodnight Nashville (2018)
• Whiskey Sessions II (2019)
• A Beautiful Disaster (2020)
• Self Medicated (2020)
• Ballads of the Broken (2021)
• Whitsitt Chapel (2023)
• Beautifully Broken (2024)

Collaborative albums

• Year Round(withLil Wyte and BPZ) (2011)
• Strictly Business(withHaystak) (2011)
• No Filter(with Lil Wyte) (2013)
• Business as Usual(with Haystak) (2013)
• No Filter 2(with Lil Wyte) (2016)
• Waylon & Willie(withStruggle Jennings) (2017)
• Waylon & Willie II(with Struggle Jennings) (2018)
• Waylon & Willie III(with Struggle Jennings) (2018)
• Waylon & Willie IV(with Struggle Jennings) (2020)

• Official website

• 1984 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American male singers
• 21st-century American rappers
• Alternative hip-hop musicians
• American country singer-songwriters
• BBR Music Group artists
• Country rappers
• People from Antioch, Tennessee
• Rappers from Tennessee
• Republic Records artists
• Singers from Nashville, Tennessee
• Southern hip-hop musicians
• American Christians

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