Jelly Roll says ‘some legal puzzles’ — a.k.a. felonies — keep him from international shows
Jelly Roll will keep his concerts stateside for now — at least until a few legal hurdles are cleared.
The country singer — real name Jason DeFord — told Jon Bon Jovi for Interview magazine that although he’s “so excited” to travel internationally, his team needs to put together the “final pieces of some legal puzzles for me to get overseas.”
DeFord has been open about his felony convictions, one of which was for aggravated robbery after he used a gun to steal weed at age 16.
The 39-year-old felt optimistic that he would one day take his live performances to international audiences, although the timeline for that is still murky.
Jelly Roll is not your typical country star: His past includes prison, addiction and 20-plus records as a rapper. Now, he’s a favorite for multiple Grammy noms.
“America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies,” he continued. “We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor.”
Bon Jovi then weighed in on the matter, criticizing the “archaic rules” that prevented DeFord from traveling. But the musician appeared grateful that the opportunity could one day exist.
“For the record I’m a kid from Antioch, Tenn., whose father never left the southeastern region until he was in his 50s,” DeFord said.
In an interview with The Times last year, DeFord detailed his teenage and young adult years in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville. He said he spent much time behind bars on robbery- and drug-related charges.
Jelly Roll just delivered an impassioned five-minute testimony before Congress. ‘America has been known to bully and shame drug addicts,’ he said.
Although he’s not a “political guy,” partly because he can’t vote due to his felonies, DeFord said he does have a “personal thing with the government.”
“I don’t appreciate the way they treat guys like me,” he said, “especially after we’ve been proven to be rehabilitated and become taxpaying citizens. I put millions of dollars back into the community of Nashville.”
In January, DeFord advocated for an anti-fentanyl bill before Congress, telling lawmakers that the government needed to take more action to help those struggling with addiction, as well as to prevent fatal overdoses.
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