Highlights

• Rapper Jelly Roll's song "Save Me" was covered by Kelly Clarkson on her talk show in February, showcasing his impact and success and bringing him to tears.
• Jelly Roll's authentic and transparent storytelling has earned him an estimated net worth of $4 million, but his felony record limits his opportunities.
• Jelly Roll's journey to country music stardom began in Antioch, Tennessee, and his struggles with the law shaped his determination for success.

Rapper and musician Jelly Roll didn't hit it big in country music overnight, but now his wild success inspires fans everywhere.

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, is one of Tennessee's native sons, hailing from Antioch – just south of country's capital city of Nashville.

Updated, February 2024: On February 16th, several outlets reported that Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord) admitted he'd been brought to tears when another prominent vocalist covered his song "Save Me."

According to AmericanSongwriter.com, Jelly Roll's "Save Me" was covered by Kelly Clarkson, during a "Kellyoke" segment on her talk show. "Save Me" is a song about struggling with substance abuse.

On February 15th, DeFord tweeted about Clarkson's cover, writing:

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DeFord experimented with numerous genres, but in early 2023 (as a first-time nominee), Jelly Roll won a Country Music Television (CMT) Award in the category of "Male Video Of The Year," for his hit song "Son of a Sinner."

An exceptionally authentic and transparent artist, Jelly Roll has an estimated net worth of $4 million (as of November 2023).

Parade.com reported on his "true rags-to-riches story," noting that his Jelly Roll's net worth was only part of the tale.

His oft-mentioned youthful brush with the law (and subsequent felony conviction) have had a lingering impact on the star – even after he became wealthy and famous:

While he's certainly wealthy, because of his felony record, he has significantly less class privilege than many other artists in his tax bracket — and that can impact his income opportunities and bottom line in big ways over time.

Jelly Roll faces difficulties touring overseas (he [was only recently] able to get a passport) and was forced to cancel a London show as a result.

From gaining notoriety through a highly publicized and comical lawsuit with Waffle House over his mixtape Whiskey, Weed And Waffle House to winning, Jelly Roll has a knack for finding unprecedented success and wins.

Let's take a closer look at Jelly Roll's rocky road to country music stardom.

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Where Jelly Roll Is From, And His Humble Tennessee Roots

Jelly Roll is a native of Antioch, a suburb south of Nashville.

His father was a blue-collar meat salesman with a penchant for gambling. Meanwhile, his mother struggled with mental health and substance abuse during his childhood.

Jelly Roll, the youngest of four, said he "never controlled the radio" – a detail that alludes to his ability to straddle genres.

Like many celebrities, he hit stumbling blocks on his rise to fame.

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In June 2023, Billboard interviewed Jelly Roll about his career and early legal problems, in an extensive feature which began with a summary of those difficulties:

In January 1999, one month after he turned 14, Jason DeFord was baptized by full immersion at Whitsitt Chapel Baptist Church in Antioch, Tenn.

By the end of that year, he was incarcerated for the first, but not the last, time.

For the next decade, DeFord cycled in and out of juvenile and then adult correctional facilities for crimes ranging from aggravated robbery to drug dealing.

Jelly Roll: From Prison To Pop Star

Jelly Roll is open about his arrests and incarceration, unflinchingly discussing his past in interviews and in general.

In his June 2023 Billboard profile, he spoke candidly about his earlier life, and said:

I got baptized in here [at Whitsitt Chapel in Antioch] some 20 years ago and have since done nothing but go to prison, treat a bunch of people wrong, make a lot of mistakes in life, turn it around, [then] go on to be a [f******] multimillionaire and help as many people as I possibly can ...

It’s the [f******] wildest story ever to me — maybe because I’m the one [f******] in the middle of it — but that [s***]’s crazy.

In an earlier interview with Monica Rivera for Audacy, Jelly Roll said he believed his struggles were rooted in depression, anxiety, and a need to fit in.

While his parents told him to "brush it off" as a kid, he now explains he would have made "some crazy different life decisions if [he] could have sat down and felt vocal enough to say, 'Hey, I'm leaning towards this because I don't feel accepted anywhere else.'"

Jelly Roll reached a proverbial fork on the road to fame and fortune, when he discovered he had fathered a daughter, who was conceived between his stints in prison – deciding to turn over a new leaf, to provide for her and to ensure he no longer jeopardized his life or freedom.

Consequently, DeFord called a friend from prison, and asked them to create a Facebook and YouTube page for him. When Jelly Roll re-entered the world after his release (in the era of iPhones and President Obama), his daughter became his reason for staying on the straight and narrow.

Jelly Roll was lucky to have a support system he could count on. He began posting freestyle rap tracks and selling CDs off spindles to anyone who would buy them, hustling hard and performing as often as he could to earn money.

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Jelly Roll once said that he "would [perform as an opening act] back then for a pack of chewing gum, a bag of bud, and a gas card"; he did everything and anything in his power to be a good provider.

First experimenting with hip-hop, Jelly Roll branched out to more soulful rock and country influences over time. After his initial freestyle rap went viral on World Star Hip Hop (WSHH), the die was cast in terms of what would become his amazingly successful star turn in country music.

A fan of singer-songwriters of the seventies, Jelly Roll identifies as "country adjacent," but his accent forever marks him as a true "country boy."

Now he's selling out concert venues and sharing the stage with Wynonna Judd, bagging major awards at an impressive rate.

Jelly Roll's Wife And Family (Who Is Mrs. Jelly Roll?)

Jelly Roll's first daughter, Bailee Ann Deford, is now a teenager, and is the product of a relationship prior to his marriage.

DeFord and his wife Bunnie DeFord (also known as Bunnie XO), have had full custody of Bailee for almost a decade. Jelly Roll married the exotic model turned lucrative podcaster in 2016.

The couple were only six short months into their relationship when Bunnie put everything on the line to help Jelly get custody of his daughter. Jelly Roll also has a son named Noah Buddy DeFord, also the product of a previous relationship.

Marrying Bunnie XO has been integral to her husband's success, as Bunnie has her own level of star power. Jelly Roll credits his wife as his best friend, and for setting his career on its current skyward trajectory.

Since then, the couple has been making episodes Bunnie's Dumb Blonde podcast together ... and gracing red carpets.

Bunnie's wild success as a podcaster makes her exactly the kind of partner Jelly Roll needs in the industry, and the pair could best be described as "couple goals."

Jelly Roll's Story Is Just Starting

From selling t-shirts from his first freestyle for a decade straight to purchasing multiple homes, Jelly Roll has amassed some serious wealth.

Jelly Roll's earned at least $1.5 million from his music, $500,000 from merchandise, $250,000 from film work, $200,000 from social media, and another $2 million from collaborations and performances.

And on November 8th, DeFord formally accepted his statue for "New Artist Of The Year":

In partnership with the non-profit organization Impact Youth Outreach, Jelly Roll donated $250,000 to underrepresented and at-risk Nashville youth in 2022. The donation also included scholarship money for seniors at Davidson County high school for $10,000 each from Target.

At the time, Jelly Roll said that while many people (and entertainers) come through Nashville and take something, be it professional success or party culture, very few give something back.

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