Before Jelly Roll became a household name in country music, he was a rapper trying to make a name for himself. And before that, he struggled to stay on the right side of the law as he found himself in and out of correctional facilities for numerous offenses like drug dealing, shoplifting, drug possession, and aggravated robbery. Now, the singer is on top of country music, holds numerous awards, and is even nominated at the Grammy Awards. With his life seeming to change overnight, Jelly Roll recently went back to the jail he once called home.
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Not going alone, Jelly Roll decided to bring CBS Sunday Morning with him as he walked back into the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility in Nashville. Taking in his surroundings, the singer admitted, “This is jail. It sucks. Every one I’ve ever been to.” Although he left the facility years ago and never returned, he insisted, “Yeah, still smells the same.”
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Always one for honesty, Jelly Roll fought back emotions as he recalled his time in jail. “There was a time in my life where I truly thought … this was it. And then coming here, you know, just after getting nominated for two Grammys, it just hits different. … I didn’t think I’d get emotional, to be honest. Even when I left here, I didn’t have a plan. I knew that I loved music, and I knew it was the only thing I had any skill set [for].” Trying to hold back the emotion, he said, “I can’t believe I’m crying.”
Still “Haunted by My Past”
Although it took time before Jelly Roll took over country music, his love for music started early. Discussing how he first promoted himself as a musician, the singer noted he would give away his mixtape to people he sold drugs to. “I’m just like, ‘Yo, here’s a sack of weed. Here’s a gram of coke. Here’s a mixtape.’ Know what I’m saying? ‘I rap, too!’ It was like my business card. Even my drug dealing, to me, was always a means to music.”
Jelly Roll holds his time in prison close as he wrote hundreds of songs inside the facility. And as for his newfound stardom, the star claimed to suffer from imposter syndrome. “I’m still dealing with imposter stuff,” he said. “I’m still dealing with talking to my therapist about that: Do I really deserve this? I’m still a guy that’s haunted by my past. There’s a very dark hallway between my ears.”
Having gone through the highs and lows of life, Jelly Roll expressed his wonder about how his life turned around. He said he considered calling his mother to tell her about his Grammy nominations “one of the coolest moments” of his life.
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Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images
