Jelly Roll recalls drug-dealing past, pushes Congress to act on fentanyl legislation in powerful speech: ‘I hurt people’

Jelly Roll brought up his past demons in front of Congress Thursday, when he gave a powerful speech against the deadly use of fentanyl in America.

The rapper and country music star, whom won the new artist of the year award at the 2023 CMA Awards, addressed the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and urged legislators to establish a bill to combat the supply and distribution of the synthetic opioid in the U.S. at a hearing on “stopping the flow of fentanyl.”

“At every concert I perform, I witness the heartbreaking impact of fentanyl,” he said. “I see fans grappling with this tragedy in the form of music … that they seek solace in music and hope that their experiences won’t befall others.”

“These are the people I’m here to speak for, y’all,” he continued. “These people crave reassurance that their elected officials actually care more about human life than they do about ideology and partisanship.” 

Jelly Roll, 39, whose real name is Jason DeFord, was candid about his past run-ins with the law, multiple arrests and serving jail time for drug charges and aggravated robbery.

“It is important to establish earlier that I am a musician and that I have no political alliance,” DeFord began. “I am neither Democrat nor Republican. In fact, because of my past, my right to vote has been restricted. Thus far, 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.”

DeFord was well informed regarding the statistics surrounding the epidemic, telling the committee that 190 people die from drug overdoses daily in the U.S. and 72% of them are fentanyl-related.

“I’m not here to defend the use of illegal drugs, and I also understand the paradox of my history as a drug dealer standing in front of this committee,” he said. “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 a part of the solution.

“I brought my community down. I hurt people,” he continued. “I believed when I sold drugs genuinely that selling drugs was a victimless crime. I truly believed that.”

“I’ve attended more funerals than I care to share with you all [on] this committee,” the “Save Me” singer explained. “I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I loved dearly, deeply in my soul — good people, 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 it. One thing led to the other and how fast it spirals out of control — I don’t think people truly, truly understand.”

The fentanyl crisis especially hits home for the singer because his 15-year-old daughter Bailee Ann’s biological mother is currently battling a drug addiction. DeFord, and his wife Bunnie XO, whom he married in 2016, raise his daughter Bailee Ann. He also has a son Noah, 7, from a previous relationship.

“Every single day I have to wonder … if today will be the day that I have to tell my daughter that her mother became a part of a national statistic,” he said. “I have to be frank and tell you all that if we don’t talk to the other side of Capitol Hill and stop the demand, we are going to spin our tires in the mud.”

“I stand here as a regular member of society,” he said in conclusion. “I am a stupid songwriter, y’all, but I have firsthand witnessed this in a way most people have not. I encourage y’all to not only pass this bill, but I encourage you to bring it up where it matters — at the kitchen table.”

If enacted, the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act would instruct the Treasury Department to impose sanctions and freeze the financial assets of global criminal enterprises associated with opioid trafficking.