Complete List Of Jelly Roll Songs From A to Z

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Jason Bradley DeFord, professionally known as Jelly Roll, grew up in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. His path to stardom didn’t follow a traditional arc—he carved out his name in the gritty underground rap scenes of the South long before he crossed over into country and rock. The hardships of his youth, including repeated incarceration as a teenager, would go on to shape the raw storytelling and emotional authenticity that permeate his music. These formative experiences became not only lyrical inspiration but a foundation for a career rooted in redemption, resilience, and real-world grit.

Jelly Roll first gained attention with a series of mixtapes that circulated heavily online in the late 2000s and early 2010s. His breakout moment arrived in 2010 when he collaborated with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte on the track “Pop Another Pill.” The single quickly racked up millions of views on YouTube, and the duo followed up the success with the Year Round album in 2011, a full-length collaboration with the group SNO. Jelly Roll would go on to independently release a string of albums and mixtapes that blurred the lines between Southern rap, country, and rock—long before genre-bending was embraced by the mainstream.

Between 2011 and 2023, Jelly Roll released more than a dozen studio albums and collaborations. Some of the most prominent among these include The Big Sal Story (2012), A Beautiful Disaster (2020), and Ballads of the Broken (2021). His versatility continued with Whitsitt Chapel, released in 2023 under BBR Music Group. Named after a church he attended in his youth, Whitsitt Chapel marked a spiritual and musical turning point, anchoring his identity within the modern country genre without abandoning the hip hop influences that made him.

The lead single from Ballads of the Broken, titled “Save Me,” introduced many to a different side of Jelly Roll. Originally released as a solo acoustic ballad, the song earned a new life when re-recorded as a duet with Lainey Wilson in 2023. The collaboration climbed to No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, solidifying his impact in the country space. Another single, “Son of a Sinner,” also reached the top of the charts, becoming his first No. 1 country radio hit and winning him the 2023 CMT Music Award for Male Video of the Year. The raw honesty and confessional lyrics of these tracks have become hallmarks of his writing style and key reasons for his cross-genre success.

“Need a Favor” and “She” further extended Jelly Roll’s reach in 2023. Both singles received extensive radio airplay and widespread streaming success, with “Need a Favor” breaking into the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a fixture on country, rock, and adult alternative playlists alike. These tracks brought more attention to Whitsitt Chapel, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums, Top Country Albums, and Top Independent Albums charts. It was a milestone that underscored Jelly Roll’s rare ability to transcend genre silos without losing artistic cohesion.

His trophy case has expanded rapidly. Jelly Roll took home multiple CMT Music Awards in 2023, including Breakthrough Male Video of the Year and Digital-First Performance of the Year. At the iHeartRadio Music Awards, he was named Best New Rock & Alternative Artist and Best New Country Artist—an almost unheard-of crossover feat. By the end of 2023, he was nominated for two Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, winning the title of New Artist of the Year, a validation of both his popularity and his powerful presence in the country music community.

What sets Jelly Roll apart from other modern artists is not just his chart presence but the deeply personal connection he builds with his audience. He writes songs about addiction, redemption, grief, and self-forgiveness, pulling directly from his own lived experiences. His fans don’t just hear his music—they feel seen by it. And it’s not limited to lyrical resonance; his transparency about his past, from jail time to drug use to mental health struggles, has turned him into a symbol of second chances and hope for those who feel left behind.

Outside of his recording career, Jelly Roll is known for his charitable work and advocacy. He’s returned to the same juvenile detention facilities where he was once incarcerated to speak with at-risk youth and offer support. He’s also funded music programs in those same institutions, emphasizing the role of creativity in rehabilitation. His philanthropic efforts extend to addiction recovery centers, where he often donates proceeds from shows and uses his platform to speak out about opioid abuse and mental health awareness.

In recent years, Jelly Roll has also become a major touring act, selling out venues across the U.S. His 2023 “Backroad Baptism Tour” drew large crowds and featured a diverse setlist that included rap hits, country ballads, and rock anthems—underscoring the breadth of his appeal. His live performances often include heartfelt monologues, emotional audience interactions, and a sense of communal healing that’s rare in contemporary popular music.

The respect Jelly Roll has garnered from fellow musicians is another testament to his influence. He’s worked with artists as varied as Brantley Gilbert, Struggle Jennings, Tech N9ne, and Yelawolf, and his willingness to collaborate across genres has helped build bridges between disparate musical communities. It also reflects the way he refuses to be boxed in—musically or personally.

What Jelly Roll represents in today’s music scene is more than just a stylistic blend of country, hip hop, and rock. He represents the power of authenticity in an era often accused of being overproduced and emotionally hollow. His journey—from prison cells to platinum records—is not a narrative engineered for image-building; it’s a real story told through music that doesn’t flinch from hard truths. That’s precisely why audiences continue to rally around him.

As his career continues to evolve, it’s likely that Jelly Roll will keep walking the line between genres, shattering expectations and delivering heartfelt messages along the way. His music resonates because it’s born of pain but delivered with compassion. And as he brings his message of redemption to bigger stages and broader audiences, he continues to prove that reinvention, when done with heart, can be the most honest form of expression.