Inside the tragic past of Prince Harry's 'tattoo artist' Jelly Roll as the Duke stars in a spoof clip to promote the Invictus Games
- Rapper Jelly Roll went from teen criminal to philanthropic family man
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Viewers were charmed by the heavily inked artist who pretended to give Prince Harry a tattoo in a skit for the upcoming Invictus Games - but few may know the tale of how he turned his life around from criminal to charitable, loving father.
With facial tattoos and a strong build, US rapper Jelly Roll may look hard as nails, but as he playfully joked with Prince Harry in the clip promoting the Invictus Games, fans were enamoured by him.
The 39-year-old is a singer-songwriter with a country music twang who rose to fame after posting his music on YouTube while living out of a van.
He started dealing drugs to support his mother before he hit puberty and by the time he was in his mid-twenties, he had been in and out of jail 40 times.
It was only when he became a father at the age of 23, while he was still in prison, that he decided to turn his life around.
Jelly Roll embarked on a journey of sobriety and turned his focus to his music career which took off upon meeting fellow rapper Lil Wyte.
The chart-topper found not only success but solace in his music which has earned him a string of award nominations and wins.
Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord in Nashville, Tennessee, wrote his first rap song around age nine and was passing out mixtapes by the time he was in eighth grade.
US rapper Jelly Roll recently warmed hearts after appearing in a skit with Prince Harry. The artist has been open about his transformation from troubled teen to charitable dad and singer
He started dealing drugs to support his mother before he hit puberty and by the time he was in his mid-twenties, he had been in and out of jail 40 times
The chart-topper found not only success but solace in his music which has earned him a string of award nominations and wins
He grew up with his three half siblings, his meat wholesaler father and his mother who struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Despite his mother's own battles, she sparked her son's interest in music; and was also responsible for his stage name of Jelly Roll, because he was a 'chubby kid'.
Jelly Roll told Billboard that, when his parents divorced when he was a teenager, he felt a responsibility to provide for his mother and turned to selling drugs to bring in money.
However, he would give out samples of his music with bags of cocaine to his customers to keep his music dream alive.
In October, the country megastar revealed he was court ordered to begin attending Alcoholics Anonymous at just 14 years old.
In his 2023 documentary Jelly Roll: Save Me, the artist revealed in the years following his first AA meeting, he was arrested more 40 times and was constantly in and out of jail.
At 16, he faced his most serious charge of aggravated robbery and was looking at up to 20 years in prison.
Speaking with Joe Rogan on his podcast, Jelly Roll appeared remorseful and admitted the crime he committed was 'heinous'.
With his face tattoos and strong build, US rapper Jelly Roll looks intimidating, but fans were enamoured by his humorous banter with Prince Harry as he joked about inking his name on the Duke's neck
The 39-year-old is singer-songwriter with a country music twang who rose to fame after posting his music on YouTube while living out of a van
'It was horrible, we robbed a couple of guys for some weed but they called the police because we took some money and some stuff. It was an armed robbery, we went in there with a gun,' he recalled.
'I regret it everyday of my life. I was a kid. Now, I'm not making any excuses but I would like to paint the picture that I literally did not have public hairs. I'm a 15-year-old kid when it (happened).'
Jelly Roll was tried as an adult, but only had to serve a year followed by seven years probation.
Throughout his teens and early adulthood, the singer's substance abuse issues persisted; he was not only hooked on illicit drugs but struggled with alcohol, cough syrup, and Xanax.
His experiences using drugs and alcohol, as well as the times when he learned a thing or two at a NA and AA meeting, helped inspire his song, I Am Not Okay, which is the lead single from his tenth studio album, Beautifully Broken.
He also has another song off the new record, Winning Streak that was actually inspired by AA and NA.
'It was really hard for me to get away from those drugs,' he said during an interview with The New York Times over the summer. 'Something I do [for] maintaining my relationship with those drugs is I will still attend the meetings, even though I'm not a textbook sober guy — but I never share, I just quietly sit and appreciate the message and the meaning.'
In October, the country megastar revealed he was court ordered to begin attending Alcoholics Anonymous at just 14-years-old and went to prison for aggravated robbery at 16
His experiences using drugs and alcohol and learnings from NA and AA meetings, helped inspire his song, I Am Not Okay - lead single from his tenth studio album, Beautifully Broken
'I talk about it so much, I sometimes desensitise myself to how traumatic it really was. I spent my 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th birthdays incarcerated,' he told Rogan.
At 23, he was incarcerated again for drug dealing during which time he found out he had become a father to his daughter Bailee Ann.
'I was in the revolving door of the judicial system, in and out. I knew I got a woman pregnant, I'm back in jail while she's pregnant, she hates me, we're not talking, I'm a bad human - she's right, I was a horrible human,' he said.
'A guard knocked on my door, May 22, 2008...he said you had a kid today and then he walked away. I still get emotional.'
Jelly Roll said becoming a father was one of his biggest motivations to turn his life around.
'It's like a Damascus Road experience in the Bible. I immediately was like, 'I've got to do something. I've got to quit this s***. I got to figure it out',' he said.
Upon hearing the news he had become a father, Jelly Roll signed up for an educational program and completed his GED in prison.
'I didn't know what I was going to do but I knew I was dead set on not selling drugs ever again,' he said.
He found out he became a dad while in prison at 23. He has two children, Bailee Ann (top), now 15, and Noah Buddy (bottom), now seven
Jelly Roll said becoming a father was one of his biggest motivations to turn his life around. (Jelly Roll with with Bailee and Noah at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, July 2024)
Having only spent a collective six weeks attending high school, he thought he was too 'dumb' to complete the qualification, which is the equivalent to a high school diploma.
'I thought I was a real dumbass. I thought I was learning disabled. I walked in there and smacked that b***h out of the park,' he boasted in a Billboard interview.
He finally got to meet Bailee two years later on her second birthday upon his release.
Jelly Roll worked flipping burgers to support his daughter and get back on his feet and started focusing heavily on his rap career.
He uploaded videos of himself rapping freestyle on YouTube while living out of his van which caught the attention of rapper Lil Wyte, who eventually helped him release his first record Year Round in 2011.
The album was received with moderate success and Jelly Roll continued working with Lil Wyte with each subsequent release ranking higher and higher on the charts.
He finally broke into mainstream prominence in 2022 with hit singles Son of a Sinner and Need a Favor.
The singer and rapper got the inspiration to go in a more country direction after seeing the success of Son Of A Sinner off his album Ballads Of The Broken (2021), which reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but hit number one on the Country Airplay chart.
In 2016, he married his wife Bunnie XO who he lives with along with Bailee. Bunnie, a former sex worker, is known as a model and YouTuber as well as her popular podcast Dumb Blonde
He finally broke into mainstream prominence in 2022 with hit singles Son of a Sinner and Need a Favor
Now, Jelly Roll is a music sensation and has been selling out arenas across the US, earning Grammy and CMA nominations and releasing a biographical documentary Save Me about his traumatic rise from troubled teen to superstar musician.
In 2016, he married his wife Bunnie XO who he lives with along with Bailee. He also has a good relationship with his seven-year-old son Noah 'Buddy' from a previous relationship.
Bunnie, a former sex worker, is known as a model and YouTuber as well as her sometimes controversial podcast Dumb Blonde which has amassed 10million listeners worldwide.
After achieving commercial success, Jelly Roll turned some of his focus to some philanthropic pursuits.
In December, he will receive the Changemaker of the Year Award for his work helping prisoners, those in recovery and at-risk youth.
While on tour, Jelly Roll has been known to donate meals to shelters in the cities he visits and collaborates with various charities to raise money and awareness for their respective causes usually centred around substance abuse or troubled juveniles.
Despite his charitable efforts and the fact that he's been sober and out of trouble for years, his chequered past still haunts him.
'I still feel horrible about (my crimes) but because the state of Tennessee has a zero forgiveness policy for violent offenders, I've carried that inexpungable felony for 20-something years,' he told Rogan.
After achieving commercial success, Jelly Roll turned some of his focus to some philanthropic pursuits. Pictured at the Nashville's Youth Campus for Empowerment where he celebrated his '14th, 15th, and 16th birthdays' incarcerated
Despite his charitable efforts and the fact that he's been sober and out of trouble for years, his chequered past still haunts him. He can't buy a house or get life insurance
While he is frequently open and honest about his history, he is powering forward with his life and continuing releasing music that resonates with people who have also grown up with trauma
'It's prohibited me from getting houses... homeowners insurance is higher if I can get it at all - I can't get life insurance at all. I can't volunteer at the YMCA.'
He has embraced a healthier lifestyle, losing 100lbs and getting sober but admits he has been using marijuana along the way.
'I get in trouble for this, all the time, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many regards, with my anxiety,' the Save Me singer told Taste of Country.
'This is a hot button topic, but, truly, marijuana has kept me sober.'
While he is frequently open and honest about his history, he is powering forward with his life and continuing releasing music that resonates with people who have also grown up with trauma.
