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Jelly Roll, one of the top names in country music<\/a>, should be pardoned for his past robbery and drug possession convictions, the Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously determined on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The decision now rests with Gov. Bill Lee.<\/p>\n Jelly Roll, 40, a Tennessee native whose real name is Jason DeFord, started his career as a rapper but rose to prominence<\/a> in 2023 with his country album \u201cWhitsitt Chapel\u201d and its popular songs \u201cSave Me\u201d and \u201cNeed a Favor.\u201d He was named the best new artist at the Country Music Association Awards that year and has been nominated for four Grammys<\/a>. His most recent album, \u201cBeautifully Broken,\u201d reached No. 1 on the charts<\/a>.<\/p>\n The singer has been open about his criminal history, including convictions for robbery and drug possession with intent to sell. He was incarcerated when his daughter was born<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Associated Press reported<\/a> that Jelly Roll was sentenced to a year in prison after entering a house and demanding money in 2002; he was unarmed but two other men were carrying guns. In another case, The A.P. reported, Jelly Roll was sentenced to eight years of court-ordered supervision after the police found cocaine and marijuana in his car.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jelly Roll told The New York Times<\/a> that he was 13 when the police brought him to jail after an unresolved cannabis citation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m learning to forgive myself for the decisions I made when I was that young,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were wrong and I knew<\/em> they were wrong, and I was doing them with a sense of pride and excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n In recent years, Jelly Roll has performed at correctional facilities and testified before Congress about the fentanyl crisis. In an interview with Jon Bon Jovi<\/a> last year, Jelly Roll said he still had issues performing outside of the United States because of his legal troubles.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re working on that,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s going to work in my favor.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously voted to recommend granting a pardon during a nearly two-hour meeting in downtown Nashville on Tuesday. One of the seven board members, a former law enforcement officer, recused himself from the case.<\/p>\n Representatives for Jelly Roll and a spokesman for Mr. Lee did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the parole board said there was no timeline for when the governor would announce a decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n