Rarely do country stars emerge out of nowhere. Typically, years of writing songs, touring and cutting albums paves the way for any semblance of mainstream success. In the case of Jelly Roll, 16 hip-hop albums preceded his big-label Nashville debut, 2021's Ballads of the Broken.
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Jelly Roll —real name Jason Bradley DeFord— entered the rap game nearly 20 years ago. His self-released albums and mix tapes followed the lineage of country-rap groundbreakers UGK and others. The confessional storytelling that made Jelly Roll a perfect fit for Music Row was there all along, as were elements of hard rock and folksy twang. Plus, the spirit of collaboration in hip-hop permeates Nashville now, as heard on Jelly Roll's work with Brantley Gilbert, Lainey Wilson and others. In short, Jelly Roll hasn't changed— Nashville caught up with him.
Here's the 15 best songs so far from Jelly Roll's multi-genre-spanning catalog.
Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images For a taste of Jelly Roll's massive body of work as a Southern rapper, start with this feature and co-write on an album by Tennessee-born and Alabama-raised Yelawolf. DeFord spits rhymes with the best of them on the type of song that met the hip-hop moment while still sounding like something that could remain on a college town club DJ's setlist for years to come. Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images "Creature" is another example of how Jelly Roll's songwriting style and raspy rhymes suit the collaborative nature of rap. Beyond that, "Creature's" one of several selections here on which Jelly Roll owns his own shortcomings without losing sight of a hard-earned better future. Ethan Miller/Getty Images "Over You" lands somewhere in between the hardcore hip-hop that defines Jelly Roll's earlier material and the singer-songwriter confessionals that've made him a household name. It's similar stylistically to the rap with a Nashville sheen that's worked for his peers without that overshadowing the vulnerability at the heart of DeFord's widespread appeal. Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for CMT Jelly Roll's storytelling style moves to the forefront when he strips back the country, rap and rock elements and pours his heart out as an acoustic guitar-strumming singer-songwriter. "Save Me" proves this best, but don't sleep on "Sober." It's the sound of an artist working through their inner turmoil in a way that makes others with similar struggles feel less alone. John Lamparski/Getty Images Bluesy hard rock and aggressive rap itches get scratched by one of the more musically-compelling Jelly Roll songs that dive deep into the wages of self-medication. Amid these musical and lyrical choices emerges a gorgeous vocal chorus. John Shearer/Getty Images for Jelly Roll Jelly Roll has worked extensively with Jennings, the grandson of Jessi Colter, step-grandson of Waylon Jennings and a prolific rapper in his own right. Here, they pay homage to "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," a country classic written by Ed Bruce and immortalized by Willie Nelson and Waylon. There's a musical nod to Tom Petty, as well, making this a survey of the disparate types of Southern music that sometimes shape regional rap. Jason Kempin/Getty Images As a Music Row songwriter should, Jelly Roll often builds entire worlds inhabited by troubled —and to some, relatable— characters. Here, he grapples with mortality, not with a first-person confessional but with an unnamed yet understandable "she." John Shearer/Getty Images for Jelly Roll "I only feel right when I'm doing wrong" admits Jelly Roll, not to puff himself up as an outlaw but to express his innermost fears. It's evidence that his songwriting style was on point years before Music Row took notice. Erika Goldring/Getty Images Though Jelly Roll joys in his personal and spiritual growth, he admits here that sometimes, he falls back on old habits, and even when he's on his best behavior, some fail to see beyond his past sins. Musically, it blows away even the best efforts by Hardy to cross today's country-rap with yesterday's hard rock. Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images Jelly Roll excels at positive hip-hop joints that find the diamonds amidst a lyricist's rocky past. Here, he paints vivid character studies in between a brawny, catchy chorus that stands up against comparable works by Southern rap contemporaries. Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images Jelly Roll's incorporation of his past into his lyrics fits nicely in the 100-year country music lineage of "Saturday sinner, Sunday saint" songs. Here, he admits that despite being devout about his faith, he's still got jagged edges on his halo. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for BMG/BBR Music Group When Jelly Roll strips things down to an acoustic guitar and his gravelly, emotive voice, it draws attention to the undeniably "country" charm of his songwriting. Even the strictest traditionalist will hear shades of Chris Stapleton in this country-soul weeper. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT Listing this separate from —and immediately after— the original draws attention to a key piece of Jelly Roll's appeal. His best compositions are malleable to different styles and an array of collaborators, as heard by how weeping steel guitar and Wilson's earthy voice enhance an already great song. John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA Jelly Roll's greatest country radio success has come when he's dialed back —but not shut off— his hip-hop swagger and owned the soulfulness of his voice. This hulking tune finds a narrator begging God for a miracle while confessing their own spiritual and personal shortcomings. The huge chorus and equally entrancing fiddle accompaniment ropes listeners in to fall in love with one of Nashville's most earnest lyricists. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for BMG/BBR Music Group "I took the rearview off this old Ford so I only see in front of me" goes one of several poetic lines in the song that made Jelly Roll a country star. Beyond telling more pieces of DeFord's life story, it's got the same "why I do this" appeal as some of Luke Combs' more autobiographical material. It's no wonder, then, that it's among the songs here that fits atop the charts alongside Combs and Morgan Wallen's crossover hits."Money" (Feat. Struggle Jennings and Yelawolf) (Yelawolf's Mud Mouth, 2021)
"Creature" (Feat. Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko) (A Beautiful Disaster, 2020)
"Over You" (Ballads of the Broken, 2021)
"Sober" (Ballads of the Broken, 2021)
"Bottle and Mary Jane" (A Beautiful Disaster, 2020)
"Cowboys" (Feat. Struggle Jennings) (Waylon & Willie, 2017)
"She" (Whitsitt Chapel, 2023)
"Only" (Addiction Kills, 2017)
"Same Asshole" (Crosses and Crossroads, 2019)
"Smoking Section" (Therapeutic Music 5, 2015)
"Halfway to Hell" (Whitsitt Chapel, 2023)
"Save Me" (Self Medicated, 2020)
"Save Me" (Feat. Lainey Wilson) (Whitsitt Chapel, 2023)
"Need a Favor" (Whitsitt Chapel, 2023)
"Son of a Sinner" (Ballads of the Broken, 2021)
