Why Jelly Roll Helps Those Struggling With Addiction: ‘God Gave Me That Gift’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Grammy Award-nominated artist Jelly Roll is using his past to help others struggling with addiction.
“I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” he told PEOPLE. “I’ve never said that, but that’s real. There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, I thought we only drank to do cocaine.”
Jelly Roll never went to a rehabilitation center for his addiction, but he does frequently visit various centers and even jails to encourage those in the same situation he was in.
“I always said that if I ever got in this situation, I would do everything I could to give back,” he said. “The fact that just me showing up places can make people happy is such a gift, and I feel like if God gave me that gift, I should show up.”
A major factor that got Jelly Roll through his adversities is his family.
“I’m very anchored in my family,” he expressed. “Being a father is so important to me. The single most impactful event of my entire life was having my daughter. It changed everything.”
Fox News reported that he compares her birth to “the Christian scripture of when Saul turned into Paul on the Damascus Road. It was kind of that moment for me.”
Jelly Roll admits he isn’t perfect, but just like the rest of us, he is a work in progress.
“I’m a man that’s figuring it out,” he explained. “A man that comes from a place nobody figured it out.”
“I’ve made a lot of peace with my past. I mean, it still haunts me like the ghosts I know, but I tell you what, I don’t think about doing no drugs today,” he continued. “As far as today goes, I don’t know about tomorrow, but I can tell you, today, right now, I’m happy.”
Jelly Roll recently won the New Artist of the Year award at the 2023 Country Music Awards. In his acceptance speech, he encouraged fans to keep fighting despite the hardships.
“I got a thousand people to thank, but most importantly, my Lord and my wife,” Jelly Roll began.
“Most importantly, there’s something poetic about a 39-year-old man winning new artist of the year,” he said. “I don’t know where you’re at in your life or what you’re going through, but I want to tell you to keep going, baby. I want to tell you, ‘Success is on the other side. I want to tell you, ‘It’s going to be OK!’ I want to tell you that the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason, because what’s in front of you is so much more important than what’s behind you!”
Movieguide® previously reported on Jelly Roll:
Jelly Roll, known for his signature name and face tattoos, recently opened up about his troubled past and turn from rap to country music.
“The ‘Son of a Sinner’ singer, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, is unlike many artists who came before him. He grew up writing poetry in the suburbs of Nashville, and credits Johnny Cash, Bob Seger and James Taylor as musical influences, in addition to Three 6 Mafia and the hip-hop duo, UGK,” Fox News reported.
The singer opened up with Billboard about his troubled past. He finally gave up drugs when he felt the weight of its damage to himself and those around him…
Jelly Roll made a name for himself in country music with his faith-based album, “Whittsitt Chapel.” The tracks tell DeFord’s story through song.
Celebrity Evangelist Dylan Novak met with DeFord and spoke with him about his Christian views. Novak said DeFord’s album “made me cry several times while listening.”
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