About Jelly Roll
Jason Bradley DeFord , known professionally as Jelly Roll , is an American singer, rapper and songwriter from Antioch, Tennessee. Beginning his career in 2003, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his singles "Need a Favor" and "Son of a Sinner" , the latter of which won three CMT Music Awards. That same year, he received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.
DeFord was raised in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. His father was a meat salesman and worked as a bookie on the side; his mother suffered from mental illness and addiction.
At age 14, he and several others were arrested and charged with multiple counts of possession of marijuana and attempted robbery.
In 2003 at age 18 he was convicted of multiple aggravated robberies he committed when he was 17 years old. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison with 7 years suspended. In 2008 at 23 years old he was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine in a school zone. That same year he was convicted and ordered to pay a two thousand dollar fine and serve 8 years in prison.
Jelly Roll launched his career in hip hop after being inspired by rappers such as Three 6 Mafia, UGK, and 8Ball & MJG. He sold mixtapes out of his car, starting with a string of releases from his first project The Plain Shmear Tape in 2003 then following with the four part Gamblin' on the White Boy series from 2004 to 2011.
His 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte reached over 6.3 million YouTube views. This song led to the album Year 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 album including collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Haystak, and Tech N9ne.
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