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A resolution recognizing Jason "Jelly Roll" DeFord for his three CMT Music Award wins and his contributions to Antioch.
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WHEREAS, Jason DeFord, better known to many as Jelly Roll, is a rapper-turned-country singer who was raised in Antioch; and
WHERAS, Jelly Roll is a long-time Nashvillian, playing his first show in Nashville at the Playing Field on Antioch Pike and has since headlined the Bridgestone Arena; and
WHEREAS, Jelly Roll's story is an inspiration to many. As a teenager, he was involved in crimes like drug dealing and armed robbery. He spent ages 14 through 25 in and out of incarceration; and
WHEREAS, while incarcerated, Jelly Roll's daughter was born and it helped him turn his life around. He earned his GED while in prison and began focusing on his music; and
WHEREAS, after his release, he began making rap music his career and independently released albums, posted music to YouTube, and began performing anywhere he could; and
WHEREAS, he first appeared on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 2011. Over the next five years, he began to gain a following and released more albums. While he would occasionally sing, he would rarely do so for an entire track; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, Jelly Roll released an independent album which included some of the first songs he sang with no rapping; and
WHEREAS, he made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry on November 9, 2021; and
WHEREAS, in January 2023, Jelly Roll's debut country single "Son of a Sinner" hit number one on Country radio and spent a record-setting 28 weeks at number one on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart; and
WHEREAS, Jelly Roll was nominated for three CMT Music Awards, which were held at Moody Center in Austin, TX on April 2, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Jelly Roll won all three awards: "Male Video of the Year," "Breakthrough Artist," and "CMT Digital - First Performance of the Year"; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper for the Metropolitan Council to recognize Jelly Roll for h...
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