Jelly Roll is giving back to his supporters in a heartfelt gesture. On Tuesday, he took to X, previously known as Twitter, to share a video from in front of Gus’s Fried Chicken in Little Rock, Arkansas, declaring that he would cover the cost of meals for anyone visiting the eatery that day. “Free meals for anyone downtown Little Rock,” he wrote alongside the video. This comes after his new album, *Beautifully Broken*, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 which is a first for Jelly Roll.
In the video, the “Need a Favor” artist reminisced about his early career days, mentioning his performances at Little Rock’s smaller venues like Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack, expressing his pride in having sold out the 200-capacity space. He continued, “The next time I was here, I played at a venue called the Rev Room right behind me. Next to it is Gus’s Chicken. We ate there every time we played the Rev Room. I played there ten times. If you’re at Gus’s Chicken in Little Rock, Arkansas today, the meal’s on me, baby. Come grab some food.”
Free food for anyone in downtown Little Rock pic.twitter.com/fLqyrnAFUS
— Jelly Roll (@JellyRoll615) October 22, 2024
Reflecting on his journey, Jelly Roll explained his decision to provide free meals to the Little Rock community was to celebrate their sold-out performance at Simmons Bank Arena, home to 18,000 fans. He later in the video, encouraged aspiring artists still in their early stages to persevere, sharing his own experience as a success story from those beginnings.
“To all you artists hitting the stages at Stickyz and the Rev Room, I performed at Stickyz ten times. I played the Rev Room twenty times. Keep performing, baby. Keep performing, baby!” – Jelly Roll
In past interviews, Jelly Roll has spoken candidly about his tough beginnings, recounting to Martin Short on the June 2024 episode of “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon,” how he wrote songs while incarcerated as a young man. He confided in Short, guest hosting for Fallon, “I was locked up as a juvenile due to some terrible choices,” trapped in a cycle of imprisonment for ten years.
He credited his daughter’s birth with turning his life around. “My daughter’s arrival transformed my life completely, man. It was like my own Damascus Road experience where Saul became Paul,” he reflected. “I was in jail when they told me she was born, and I just wept. It was the first time I’d cried, and I haven’t stopped since.”
Jelly Roll’s musical journey started in earnest in 2003, with significant breakthroughs in 2022 with tracks “Son of a Sinner” and “Need a Favor.” His rise to fame has since been marked by accolades including three CMT Awards, one CMA Award, a People’s Choice Award, and nominations for two Grammy Awards.
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