Jelly Roll joins Gulf Coast Jam 2024 line-up. What to know about the rising country rockstar
After 2023 Gulf Coast Jam saw the largest crowds in its history, it's expected that next year will be even bigger after some of the biggest names in the country have been announced to headline in 2014.
Rising country singer Jelly Roll is set to join Morgan Wallen as one of the top-billed headliners for Gulf Coast Jam 2024, already seeing a surge in excitement from festival goers from the announcement.
The rapper-turned-country artist has been rising in the country ranks since 2020 and gaining the attention of country music fans, celebrities, and social media scrollers alike. Within the last year, he's sold out stadiums, won multiple awards, and released a documentary on his life.
Want to learn about Jelly Roll's lore before watching him hit the stage in Panama City Beach next year? Here's what you need to know:
Jelly Roll talks success: Jelly Roll documentary 'Save Me' offers message of salvation greater than music
Who is Jelly Roll?
Jason Bradley DeFord is a Nashville-born singer who has become one of the fastest-rising stars in rap and country-rock music within the last few years. At the 2023 CMT Music Awards in April, he took home three awards — male video of the year, breakthrough male video of the year, and digital-first performance of the year.
He has gained popularity for his songs addressing his criminal past and his journey to sobriety. According to a profile in the New York Times, he grew up in Antioch, a culturally diverse working-class suburb south of downtown Nashville. His father was a meat salesman with a side hustle as a bookie, while his mother struggled with her mental health and addiction.
He was first arrested when he was 14, spending the next decade in and out of juvenile centers and prison for charges including aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell. Throughout his youth, he has said he had an interest in music and sought inspiration from Southern rappers like Three 6 Mafia, UGK, and 8ball & MJG.
“The culture I was first exposed to was hip-hop. Not even just music, but the culture — breakdancing, graffiti, freestyling, the clothing,” Jelly Roll said in a Billboard interview. “I didn’t know there was this other country music culture in town. You just knew the culture you were exposed to.”
After the birth of his daughter in 2008, he began to pursue music more seriously and began releasing several mixtapes as a rapper. Years of touring followed and after he built up a solid fanbase with word of mouth, he blew up recently on social media once he leaned into country and southern-rock style melodies.
This year, his song “Dead Man Walking” went to No. 1 on rock radio while the song “Son of a Sinner” topped the country radio chart. Jelly Roll held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s emerging artist chart for 25 straight weeks, the longest run in that ranking’s history.
How did he get his stage name?
He said publicly said his stage name came from his mother, giving him the silly name when he was a young and “chubby kid."
“Been fat my whole life. I spent the next 30 years trying to grow into the name, I think I’ve done it,” he joked on The Bobby Bones Show. “I obviously look the part…It just stuck.”
He also said one of his classmates in high school, who went by the nickname One-Arm Clay, started calling him Jelly Roll without knowing that’s what his mother called him.
Why did Jelly Roll go to jail?
Jelly Roll has opened up to several publications about his past and how he's been arrested for aggravated robbery, adding the painful time in his life inspired a lot of lyrics in his music. At 16, he was seeing a potential 20-year sentence for the charge, though he ultimately served over a year for the charge, followed by more than seven years of probation.
"I never want to overlook the fact that it was a heinous crime,” he told Billboard. “This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid that made the worst decision that he could have made in life and people could have got hurt and, by the grace of God, thankfully, nobody did.”
The charge is still on his record and still affects him to this day, as he cannot vote, volunteer at most nonprofits, or own a firearm. He also could not get a passport until this year, which affected his ability to tour internationally.
What is the meaning behind his tattoos?
The singer has an abundance of tattoos across his body, including a series of designs covering his arms and on his face. Jelly Roll admits he's not the fondest of them all but says his tattoos serve as a reminder of some of the struggles he has faced and overcome in his lifetime, including his tear drops for his stints in jail.
“My tattoos are not a reflection of who I am at all,” Jelly Roll said in his 2015 interview with The Boot. “But they’re a very good description of who I was. I never thought I’d be what I am now."
How did he get his start in the music scene?
Before his transition into country music, Jelly Roll launched his career in hip hop during a 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte. The song reached over 6.3 million YouTube views.
The 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, he would release many mixtapes and independent solo albums including collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Haystak, and Tech N9ne.
Jelly Roll's 2013 mixtape Whiskey, Weed, & Women was released, originally named Whiskey, Weed, & Waffle House. It was changed after the restaurant threatened legal action over the use of its name and logo on the cover.
When did he transition into country music?
It wasn't until his 2020 song “Save Me,” was written and published that his move to country began. The intense country ballad exploded online, seeing more than 179 million as of July 14.
A pinned comment by the artist says "I know this is a little different for me, but I’m wondering if this should make the album or not. Y’all let me know below." The song did end up making his 2020 album, Self-Medicated, with a feature from fellow country artist, Lainey Wilson.
Who is Jelly Roll married to?
Jelly Roll is married to Bunnie DeFord, known on TikTok as 'Bunnie XOXO.'
Bunnie is a social media personality, vlogging on Tiktok and hosting her 'Dumb Blonde Podcast' to millions of listeners. She has gained a loyal fanbase of her own with 1.8 million followers on the video-sharing app, as well as 1 million on Instagram.
The couple first met back in 2015, when Bunnie watched Jelly Roll perform at Sin City’s Country Saloon in Las Vegas. The two would end up marrying a year later.
“We hit it off. She said she fell in love with the saddest eyes in the room,” the country star said during a Taste of Country Nights interview back in 2022. “I’m not going to act like I shot my shot. She kind of shot hers. We had mutual friends. She said, ‘Yo. Just plug me in with Jelly.’ And I hit her on some other s–t. I was like, ‘Yo. I’m going to be coming out to shoot some content and video stuff. She was like, ‘Yeah! C’mon!’ I was like, ‘Cool, well I’m living in my van, so I’ll leave now.’”
Does Jelly Roll have any kids?
Jelly Roll has one daughter and one son from a previous relationship.
His 15-year-old daughter, Bailee Ann, has been able to step into the limelight herself. He brought her out on stage as a guest during select concerts, including one at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Texas as part of a tour that included Shinedown and John Harvie. The two performed a duet to the song “Tears Could Talk” from Jelly Roll’s 2010 A Beautiful Disaster album.
What is his current album?
Jelly Roll’s seventh studio yet debut country album “Whitsitt Chapel" was released this past month on June 2. He told Billboard that several songs address his past struggles head-on, many detailing the internal struggle to find peace and balance after battling addiction.
“The thing about the addictive personality is that everything is in [extremes],” he told reporters. “I’ve woken up hungover and told myself a thousand times that I’m never going to drink like that again,” he said. “And then you go get drunk that night or a few nights later. With this album, especially songs like ‘Son of a Sinner,’ I’m trying to say that there can be a balance.”
His 44-date 'Backroad Baptism Tour' kicks off July 28 in Southaven, Mississippi, and will wrap the tour up in the following Florida cities:
Jacksonville - Oct. 13
Tampa - Oct. 14
When is Gulf Coast Jam 2024?
The 12th Annual Gulf Coast Jam is scheduled to take place on Panama City Beach from Thursday, May 30, 2024, through Sunday, June 2, 2024.
How can I get tickets?
Although VIP packages for the 2024 Gulf Coast Jam have already sold out, there is still a chance to secure your spot with:
General admission - $229
First responder and medical personnel admission - $209
Military admission - $209
College student admission - $209
More headliners will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets can be purchased online on the Gulf Coast Jam website.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Tiktok-beloved country star Jelly Roll to headline Gulf Coast Jam 2024
