Jelly Roll Gets Candid About Weed and Anxiety

It’s no secret that most musicians smoke the good stuff to get a little creative. Do you really think Vanilla Ice created the song Ice Ice Baby without at least ONE toke of weed? However, not every musician is 100% candid about their cannabis use. That is if you’ve never met Jelly Roll before.

A Brief History of the Man

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, is a rapper hailing from Nashville, Tennessee and now resides on the West Coast. His name, he says, came from his mother when he was a portly youngster. But, it was a close high school friend that made the name stick.

“A partner of mine picked it up, his name was one-armed clay,” DeFord explained. “He went to prison and got like 30 years so I continued to kind of honor him with the name.”

His biggest claim to fame, though, may be his much-publicized legal dispute with the southern food chain Waffle House, after he named his mixtape Weed, Whiskey, and Waffle House and included their logo on the cover of his album.

“Waffle house wasn’t as flattered as I thought they would be after I used their logo on my album cover,” DeFord admitted. “I figured it would be a super good look for them because I’m so white-trashy.”

Jelly Roll later received a cease and desist from the food chain, and he later used the image to replace the Waffle House on his newly re-named mixtape Weed, Whiskey, and Women.

Despite the infamous legal case, it’s not his battle with Waffle House that defines Jelly Roll. It’s his earnest southern charm, his unique style of rap that blends country and hip-hop, and of course, his self-admitted love for some good ole’ fashioned weed.

Admitted Cannabis Use

When it comes to transparency about cannabis use, there’s no topping Jelly Roll. DeFord has admitted to first smoking cannabis when he was just 12 years old. Although, he did not realize it was weed at the time. 

“My brother had always smoked” DeFord explained. “When I was 12 I thought it was cloves. I stole one one day. I realized it was a whole different thing.”

Jelly Roll claimed that was the moment when he first fell in love. “I think I’ve been attracted to the culture ever since then.”

Fast forward a couple decades and Jason is still going strong. Only now, he’s smoking it legally. The rapper claims the main reason he moved from Nashville to California was to get a medical card to treat his anxiety. “

“When I talked to my wife about moving to the West Coast, the main reason I wanted to move was because it was to get medical clearance to smoke weed.” Tennessee has strict laws regarding the use of cannabis, so for DeFord, it was a no-brainer. 

One of the main perks about smoking weed for DeFord is that he can smoke it without any regrets or reservations. “I never do nothing out of character,” he explained. “It doesn’t matter how much pot I smoke.” 

Before he got his medical card, he had a prescription for the often-prescribed anxiety medication Xanax. DeFord admitted to having a Xanax addiction, and credits weed for getting him to kick the habit. “I’m healthier, more aware, more conscious of my thoughts,” Jelly Roll explained. “I used to have a Xanax addiction, marijuana got me off that”. 

Like most musicians, Jelly Roll loves listening to music when he’s stoned. His favorite genre? Country music.

“Country music has always embraced smoking weed in a weird way” explained DeFord. 

So do we Jelly Roll, so do we.