Jelly Roll continues to use his platform for good.
The rapper-turned-country-artist has been passionate about giving back to those that are less fortunate ever since he hit it big in the music industry. Why? Because he used to be in the shoes of the less fortunate, and he knows first hand how hard and troubling of times they can be.
And Jelly Roll loves to remind those people that it’s never too late to get back on the right path.
That’s why the “I Am Not Okay” singer takes every opportunity he can to talk and visit with those that are incarcerated. Before he played in Charlottesville, Virginia as a part of his Beautifully Broken Tour, he carved time out to visit a local jail in Chesterfield County.
The country music artist ended up spending an hour and a half with inmates, specifically those within the facility’s Helping Addicts Recover Progressively (HARP) program. Jelly spoke to them, sang to them, sang songs with them, and even sat in the audience himself to watch performances from the inmates.
As he described in an Instagram post, he considered the visit to be one of the highlights of his entire career:
“One of the most special moments of my career happened last night. Before the show, I had the honor of stopping by a jail in Chesterfield, Virginia where they have a program called Helping Addicts Recover Progressively(HARP). I’ve had the pleasure of getting to visit and talk to the folks in this program before, but this time something surreal took place. Sheriff Leonard allowed 4 members of the program to not only come to the show, but come on stage and perform the music with me.”
That’s right. After sharing music with the inmates at the Chesterfield County Jail, Jelly Roll convinced the Sheriff to let four people that were inside the walls to briefly come out to help him on stage at his concert. The 39-year-old artist hoped that it would inspire them to look past the jail walls and see a bright future:
“I don’t know what it was about me, but I only ever believed things could happen whenever I got close enough to see them happening in front of me. My hope with bringing these men out on stage with me is that they can see a larger picture of what life can become. The place they’re in now is not the end, and the future can be so much more than their wildest dreams. I can never thank and praise the HARP program enough for making this happen, the work they’re doing is truly invaluable.”
What a cool story.
And though Jelly Roll’s above post showed plenty of video from his visit to the Chesterfield County Jail HARP program, the Chesterfield County YouTube page posted an even more in-depth look at the “Need A Favor” singer’s visit inside the walls.
In the video below, you’ll see Jelly Roll brought to tears as he sits in the audience and listens to inmates sing his inspiring songs. It’s not everyday that artists get to see first hand how big of an impact that their music is having on the lives of others, and Jelly Roll’s catalogue is certainly helping lift people up.
Check it out:
