Country-rap sensation Jelly Roll is seeing his Cinderella story unfold. Soon fans may be able to watch his evolution from incarcerated youth to in-demand artist as he hints at a documentary in the works.
The artist, born Jason DeFord, appeared on The Bobby Bones Show to discuss the breakout year he had in 2022 and what 2023 is expected to bring. In the radio interview, he let slip plans for a forthcoming documentary that will likely detail his unconventional road to stardom and how he gives back now.
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“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say,” he told the host when questioned about his life story being set to film. “Can I blow it? I guess I will…”
He gave few details, but confirmed, “We have partnered with ABC and we are shooting something.”
Catch the slip in the interview below.
DeFord is open about his difficult upbringing, having served time in and out of juvenile detention centers. Now, the Nashville-native is gracing country airwaves, and most recently had a sold-out headlining show, a homecoming concert at the nearly 19,000-capacity Bridgestone Arena.
“You couldn’t write a Cinderella story cooler than this, saying that I’ll have a headlining show at Bridgestone while I have a top 10 at country radio,” he told Billboard before the December 9 show. “I look at it like it’s my introduction party to Nashville, even though I was born here.
“What I think I represent is just a beacon of hope,” he added. “I don’t look like the guy that you would’ve assumed would’ve made it [in the music industry] … I just feel like I represent the guy who looks at himself in the mirror every day and goes, ‘Yeah, guys like me don’t make it.’”
The show raised a quarter of a million dollars for the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center where he spent time in his youth. “[It’s] where I spent the worst 18 months of my life, but it was a turning point,” he explained to the outlet. “I found my real love for rapping here. I loved all music as a listener, but I didn’t think I could sing, but there was something about rhythmic rapping and poetry that I understood…”
The money raised will go toward funding a music program for the facility. “I’m passionate about this,” the artist said. “It’s not even scratching the surface of the 10-year plan we have for at-risk youth and people dealing with drug addictions in this town.”
Photo Credit: Patrick Tohill / Courtesy of Lime Tree Music