Jelly Roll has made a commitment to express his thoughts on the current state of the US “in the most loud and clear way” after revealing he wasn’t familiar with politics until his mid-20s.
The rapper shared this intention during an interview backstage at the Grammys on Sunday night (February 1).
Known by his real name, Jason DeFord, Jelly Roll took home three Grammy awards. His song ‘Amen’, featuring Shaboozey, won best country duo/group performance. His collaboration with Brandon Lake titled ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ secured the best contemporary Christian music performance/song, and his album Beautifully Broken was awarded best contemporary country album.
While the evening was filled with festivities, many celebrities utilized the Grammy platform to address US immigration policies.
Jelly Roll didn’t make a statement on the matter, though his collaborator Shaboozey did.
While receiving the Grammy for ‘Amen’, Shaboozey acknowledged immigrants by saying: “Immigrants built this country, literally. So, this is for them, for all children of immigrants… Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories, and your traditions here. You give America color.”
In a backstage conversation, Forbes reported that Jelly Roll was asked for his opinion on ‘what’s happening in the country right now.’
Initially responding with ‘not really,’ Jelly Roll elaborated: “I like talking about this stuff when people care to hear my opinion, but I can tell you that people shouldn’t care to hear my opinion.”
He added: “I’m a dumb redneck. I didn’t have a phone for 18 months. I’ve had a phone for four months and it doesn’t have social media.”
He went on to explain: “I grew up in a house of insane pandemonium, like I didn’t even know what politics were f**king real until I was in my mid-20s in jail, that’s how disconnected [I was].”
“When you grow up in a drug addict household, you think we had common calls about what’s happening in world politics? We’re just trying to find a way to survive, man.”
Jelly Roll, from Nashville, Tennessee, has faced more than 40 legal charges since age 14, including aggravated robbery and drug dealing, according to Biography.
He concluded by stating: “I have a lot of say about it and I’m going to in the next week, and everyone’s going to hear exactly what I have to say about it in the most loud and clear way I’ve ever spoken in my life. I look forward to it.”
On the same night, Billie Eilish, who won song of the year for ‘Wildflower’ with her brother Finneas, shared her thoughts openly.
“No one is illegal on stolen land. And yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” she remarked.
“I feel really hopeful in this room and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting and our voices really do matter and the people matter and erm, F**k ICE.”
Additionally, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, who has avoided touring the US due to concerns over ICE, used the stage to speak out while accepting his Best Música Urbana Album award.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ‘ICE OUT,'” he declared. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we’re Americans.”
This comes as the government enters its third day of partial shutdown over Homeland Security (DHS) reforms. Democrats are advocating for ICE agents to wear bodycams consistently and to discontinue the use of face masks.
Protests regarding ICE and President Donald Trump’s concentrated efforts on immigration raids have intensified recently, following the deaths of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and mother Renee Nicole Good, who were shot by ICE agents in separate incidents in Minneapolis last month.