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“I’ve been to jail 40 times in my life,” Jelly Roll stated in one of many opening traces of his documentary, Jelly Roll: Save Me, which was launched on Hulu on May 30. “If I wasn’t a musician, I’d be dead for sure. Or in prison doing life. I was in and out of juvenile my whole childhood, almost.” However, music wasn’t the one factor that saved the nation singer from a way more detrimental destiny. The 38-year-old was doing time after violating his probation by promoting crack when his daughter, Bailee, now 15, was born. That was the final time he went to jail. “My daughter saved my life and she doesn’t even know it,” Jelly Roll admitted.
“On more than one occasion, my daughter was a divine intervention in my life,” Jelly Roll, whose actual identify is Jason Bradley DeFord, added. He revealed that he met Bailee’s mom, Felicia, at a mutual pal’s home. She acquired pregnant whereas he was promoting medication, which ultimately put him again behind bars. Bailee was born on May 22, 2008, and Jelly Roll discovered by way of a jail guard. “I think I lived an extremely selfish life until that moment,” he shared. “I think it was the first time in my whole life that I thought about putting somebody in front of me. In that moment, I made a promise with her that I had to be there for her. It’s almost like something clicked right then.”
Jelly Roll was 23 years previous when Bailee was born. When he acquired out of jail, he started placing his power into music. However, since he didn’t have a secure profession and had a rocky previous, he didn’t have custody of Bailee when she was a toddler. “Bailee’s mother made it hard on me at first,” he shared. “She made me go to court to even see her. I barely got to see her in the early years because I was traveling so much. I was a very less-than-present father. Not to mention, I was drinking myself to sleep every night.”
When Bailee was seven, Felicia, who has Fibromyalgia and was “always in pain,” started to “really go downhill,” in line with Jelly Roll. “I could see the writing on the wall that her pill addiction was spiraling out of control,” he defined. “Then I see Felicia end up in a full-blown heroin addiction.” When Jelly Roll and his spouse, Bunnie XO, noticed how Bailee was dwelling, they knew they wanted to present her a greater life. They ultimately acquired full custody of Bailee.
Now, Felicia is sober after six years battling a heroin dependancy. “We’re proud of her, but it was really rough on Bailee,” Jelly Roll admitted. “And it really helped me straighten my s*** out because It made me realize how important it was for me to be there for her.” Seeing Felicia’s situation additionally helped Bunnie XO surrender her pill-popping behavior. She stated she has “never touched a pill” since getting full custody of Bailee.
Bailee additionally spoke within the documentary and guaranteed viewers that she is in an excellent place right this moment. “I had an extra, interesting, traumatic childhood,” she stated. “Bunnie did, my dad did. They’re important reasons for why my mom is in my life now and is sober. As a teenager, I’ve moved on. I’ve worked through my childhood. But that doesn’t make it go away. It made me who I am today.”
In addition to Bailee, Jelly Roll additionally has a son, Noah, who was born in 2016. However, he largely retains the kid out of the general public eye to respect his mom’s privateness. Jelly Roll has not revealed the id of his son’s mom.