Jelly Roll: His Drug Addiction, ‘Complicated’ Relationship With Alcohol

Jelly Roll talked candidly in a new interview with People magazine, discussing his struggle with drugs and alcohol. He said, "I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that."

He added, "I've never said that, but that's real. There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, I thought we only drank to do cocaine."

Jelly admits that he's never been to rehab for his drug addiction; he says he does spend a lot of his time visiting various centers across the country. During those visits, he brings warm meals, plays music, and "does a little encouraging."

He noted that he always said, "If I ever got in this situation," he would do everything he could to "give back." Jelly appreciates the fact that "just me showing up places can make people happy is such a gift." He feels like if God gave him that gift, he should "show up."

Getting through and past his drug addiction made his relationship with alcohol "complicated." He said he thought drinking was to make "us not feel like drug addicts."

Jelly admits that he still drinks and that he "never really" had a problem with alcohol. He said with his fantastic year in music, he will "still have a cocktail." He revealed that the night of the CMA Awards, "we partied," but he stayed away from drugs.

Jelly admitted that his "vices" remain that of alcohol and marijuana, but he indulges carefully.

He said he never talked about this in interviews, but because he does drink and smoke weed, he will "attend meetings occasionally." Jelly said he is "really struggling with thinking of my behavioral pattern," so he'll go to a meeting. He says he does that out of an "abundance of respect" for the people who really "got off the drugs completely."

Jelly concluded that he doesn't "necessarily claim" to be a part of the program because he respects their work and would never "want to diminish it" with some of his actions. He said, "AA has done a lot for me."

Jelly Roll won three awards at this year's (4/2) CMT Music Awards. The one-time rapper recently scored his first country music chart-topper "Son of A Sinner." Born and raised in Antoich (right outside of Nashville), Jelly Roll has won the hearts of his fellow country stars and the heart of country music fans worldwide.

He made his first on the CMT Music Awards performance, joined by a full gospel choir, with his song "Need A Favor." That was followed by an enthusiastic standing ovation by the whole house.

Jelly Roll's awards came before his new album, Whitsitt Chapel, was released on June 2. Titled after the church the Antioch native grew up attending, the debut full-length Country project on BMG/Stoney Creek Records features 13 tracks.

Before his current time in country music, Jelly was known as a Southern Hip Hop artist. Beginning in 2010, he collaborated with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, Tech N9ne, and Ryan Upchurch. His 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte reached over 6.3 million YouTube views and started his career.

A record label executive in Nashville told me they were looking for the Post Malone of country music and found that in Jelly. His real name is Jason DeFord, and his Jelly Roll nickname comes from his mother, who called him Jelly Roll when he was a young, as he said, a "chubby" kid.

As Jelly's star continues to rise, we take a look at his last few years in the national spotlight.