It’s the ultimate redemption, feel-good story.
Country music star Jelly Roll, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, has been given a special title in Flint, Michigan.
Per a Fox News report, earlier this week, a radio station in Detroit shared a video of Jelly Roll being sworn in by Sheriff Christopher Swanson as a deputy with the Community Cares Task Force.
Jelly Roll sworn in as Deputy Sheriff in Michigan, 'from convict to deputy' https://t.co/KiBTUpDR2S
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 31, 2024
According to a report from music and entertainment outlet Billboard, Swanson and Jelly Roll have worked together before.
The singer helped the sheriff start the I.G.N.I.T.E. Program at the Gennesse County Jail, which helps inmates earn their GED while behind bars.
But this title for the famed country singer is extra special as Jelly Roll has been open about his past trouble with the law.
During a 2023 interview with Billboard, the country music star told the outlet that he was arrested when he was 16 and charged as an adult with aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell.
Jelly Roll served over a year in prison and seven years of probation. Due to the felony, the rapper lost the right to vote and own firearms.
According to People magazine, Jelly Roll’s first arrest came at the age of 14. The singer was jailed more than 40 times before breaking the cycle of incarceration and overcoming his addiction struggles.
Jelly Roll’s music breakthrough came in 2020 with his hit song “Save Me” and he has since risen to the top of the country music scene.
“I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t for what I went through. I think it empowered me. I think it gave me my voice,” he said at the 2023 CMAs. “It taught me a lot about overcoming. It taught me a lot about changing and the ability to change.
“From convict to deputy,” the country music star is heard saying in the video of his nomination.