From prison to Capitol Hill.
Jason DeFord, better known by his stage name, Jelly Roll, appeared before congress today to share his story with the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee in an effort to help get the “FEND OFF Fentanyl Act” pushed through the house.
“I’m guessing most of you didn’t have ‘Jelly Roll testifies at Senate Banking Committee’ on your ’24 bingo card.”
Committee Chair Sherrod Brown
After previously sitting down with People Magazine, where he opened up about his rocky past with drug addition, Jelly Roll told the story of his daughter, Bailee, being born while he was incarcerated on a crack cocaine charge 16 years ago. He admitted that being a father changed his perspective on life and went a step further today to admit that he was once part of the problem:
“I’m not here to defend the use of illegal drugs,” he testified. “I also understand the paradox of my history as a drug dealer standing in front of this committee. But equally I think that’s what makes me perfect to talk about this.I was a part of the problem. I am here now standing as a man that wants to be part of the solution.“
The recent CMA New Artist of the Year also admitted he’s never followed an election, given the fact that he’s a felon and unable to currently vote:
“I have no political alliance. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. In fact because of my past, my right to vote has been restricted, thus for I have never paid attention to a political race in my life.
Ironically, I think that makes me the perfect person to speak about this, because fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology.“
Jelly Roll then goes on to tell the committee how fentanyl has affected him personally:
I’ve attended more funerals than I care to share with y’all. I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I love dearly, deeply, in my soul.
Good people and not just drug addicts. Uncles, friends, cousins, normal people, some people that just got in a car wreck and started taking a pain pill to manage. How fast it spirals out of control, I don’t think people truly understand.”
“190 people overdose and die every single day in the United States of America. That’s about what a 737 aircraft can carry. Can you imagine the national media attention it would get if they were reporting that a plane was crashing every single day and killing 190 people?…
But because it’s 190 drug addicts, we don’t feel that way. Because America has been known to bully and shame drug addicts, instead of dealing and trying to understand what the actual root of the problem is.”
“I stand here as a regular member of society. I am a stupid songwriter, y’all, but I have firsthand witnessed this in a way most people have not. I encourage you all to not only pass this bill, but I encourage you to bring it up where it matters, at the kitchen table.”
According to Senator Brown, over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2022. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Banking Committee back in July but has yet to be passed in the House.
At age 39, Jelly Roll has become one of the most popular country artists in the entire genre. After years of run-ins with the law and over 40 arrests linked to various drug charges, the rapper-turned-country singer is now hoping to make a difference. Watch the full testimony here:
2 Comments
You are doing great work @jellyrole. You are saving lives man!
Amen Jelly Roll!!