On Wednesday (Oct. 9), country music superstar Jelly Roll decided to stop by the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center, just moments before his Beautifully Broken Tour stop at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
According to local news outlets, the “Need A Favor” singer — whose real name is Jason DeFord — toured the facility and played cards with some of the inmates. In addition to this, Jelly Roll shared some of his similar experiences, as he spent time between the ages of 14 and 26 in prison around Music City, with primarily drug-related charges putting him in custody
“I know that I’ve sat in your seat, and when I did, I know that no one ever came in and poured love on me,” Jelly Roll shared with the inmates. “I’ve won a bunch of awards, I’ve made a bunch of money, but mostly what I try to do a bunch of is giving back.”
Finding a passion for music while in prison, the “Save Me” singer then reminded the inmates that they should make good use of their time and develop new skills while serving their time in detention, as discovering his love for music has changed his life completely.
Since finding success, “giving back” is exactly what Jelly Roll has done, as this is not the first time he has helped out those who are in a similar situation as he once was. For example, he even missed the People’s Choice Country Awards last month — where he won the award for Male Country Artist of the Year — as he was at another juvenile detention center.
Naturally, he took to Instagram to share why he wasn’t there to accept his award:
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Here’s the truth: I’m actually standing in the juvenile courthouse right now, I just walked out of the juvenile facility. We partnered with the Beat of Life to bring a music program to the kids.”
“This has been on my calendar for a long time. I promised these kids I was coming. I know whenever I was a kid in here, I got let down a lot. I didn’t want to be one of the people letting these kids down. I had to honor my word.”
“I hate I wasn’t there, but don’t take me not being there as a sign of anything other than love and respect and me trying to do better for my community, baby.”
With 25 stops left on his Beautifully Broken Tour, it is unclear whether or not Jelly Roll will make any more stops to help those incarcerated, but it is safe to say we will be keeping up with him on social media until further notice for any updates.