Jelly Roll Visits Minnesota Jail to Share His Powerful Redemption Story

Jelly Roll went from rock bottom to the top of the music world, and he isn't afraid to talk about the challenges he faced along the way. The singer's real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, and he was born in Nashville in 1984.

He spent a lot of his early years behind bars for charges like possession of drugs with intent to distribute and aggravated robbery, but turned his life around in prison. He earned his GED and associate's degrees, and today he dedicates a lot of time trying to inspire inmates around the country to do the same.

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Jelly Roll and Post Malone's Big Ass Stadium Tour made a stop in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Before the show, Jelly Roll made a surprise visit to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department.

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The Hennepin County Sheriff's Department shared images on its Facebook page. They said Jelly Roll spent time "inside our jail, meeting the sheriff, staff, and sharing his inspirational story with detainees."

The singer spoke about his time being locked up and said his goal was never to be released and become famous.

Instead, he focused on being a better man and a better dad, "I didn’t go home to become rich and famous…I just wanted to be the dad I didn’t have."

Before leaving, Sheriff Witt gave Jelly Roll a commemorative key to the jail.