Home / Arts and Entertainment / Nashville Rapper Jelly Roll Achieves First Major Billboard Hit in 2023
Nashville Rapper Jelly Roll Achieves First Major Billboard Hit in 2023
26 Sep, 2025
Summary
- Jelly Roll, real name Jason DeFord, wrote his first rap at age 9-10
- His 2023 single "Whitsitt Chapel" reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts
- He has collaborated with artists like Lainey Wilson, Yelawolf, and Tech N9ne
In the past two years, Nashville-based rapper Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, has experienced a remarkable rise to success in the music industry. Born in 1984, Jelly Roll began writing his first rap at the young age of 9 or 10 and was sharing his mixtapes by the eighth grade. After a period of incarceration, he returned to music, self-releasing albums and sharing his work on YouTube.
Jelly Roll's breakthrough moment came in 2023 with the release of his single "Whitsitt Chapel," which reached an impressive No. 3 on the Billboard charts. This marked his first major hit on the prestigious music chart. Prior to this, Jelly Roll had made his Billboard debut in 2011 with his sophomore release "Strictly Business," which peaked at No. 67 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally. His 2020 album "A Beautiful Disaster" also cracked the Billboard 200 at No. 97.
Throughout his musical journey, Jelly Roll has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including Lainey Wilson, Yelawolf, Brantley Gilbert, and Tech N9ne. His unique blend of genres and his personal experiences have resonated with audiences, propelling him to the forefront of the music scene.
