Jelly Roll asks daughter Bailee not to weaponize his past, calls her 'so much smarter' than he was at 16
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jelly Roll was just 14 when he was first arrested, but the Grammy-nominated singer is confident his teenage daughter Bailee Ann, 16, will avoid the same path.
Now 39, Roll whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, opened up on the lessons he shares with her daughter that make the bond between them stronger.
Jelly Roll tells Bailee not to 'weaponize' his past mistakes
Jelly Roll talked about one particular chat with Bailee Ann where he reminded her of the great potential he sees in her.
“I don’t judge you based on what you do. I judge you based on what I know you’re capable of,” he recalled telling Bailee in an interview with People.
“You’re so much smarter than I was at 16. You’re so much better, so much more emotionally intelligent," he added.
Roll also has a son Noah Buddy, from a previous partner.
"You can read a room so much better. So don’t try to talk your way out of getting in trouble, Miss Sassy, by weaponizing my past,” the 'Son of a Sinner' singer said.
Bailee continues to impress her father, with her maturity. “When I look at what she does that I consider horrible, I look back at what I was doing at 16, and I’m like, ‘Oh man…’ When I’m hard on her about stuff or a little pushy, she knows it’s from love,” Roll added.
Jelly Roll was in prison when Bailee Ann was born
Jelly Roll, who was in prison when Bailee Ann was born, said her birth marked a turning point in his life.
The 'Save Me' singer was first incarcerated at the age of 14 and for the following decade, he frequently cycled in and out of detention centers.
Roll has reported being arrested approximately 40 times on charges that include drug possession, drug trafficking, shoplifting, and aggravated robbery.
At 16 he was booked for aggravated robbery and charged as an adult.
He was potentially facing a 20-year sentence; however, he ended up serving just over a year for the charge and was subsequently placed on probation for more than seven years, according to Billboard.
When he was 23, he was arrested for drug dealing. Then, on May 22, 2008, the last day of his release, he learned that his daughter had been born which changed his life for good.
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo's custody journey with Bailee
Jelly Roll and his wife Bunnie Xo took full custody of Bailee Ann in 2017 due to Bailee’s mother Felicia's struggles with addiction.
Despite the challenges, Bailee and her mother have been working to rebuild their relationship.
“We were really, really close before it exploded, but she understands what it’s doing for her future and the family’s future,” he said.
He also credited stability for Bailee’s resilience. “She’s been in the same public school district for 10 years and had the same friends since me and Bunnie have had custody of her. I think a lot of that has helped," he told the publication.
Meanwhile, Bailee’s plans for the future include attending Columbia University and becoming a criminal defense lawyer.
“That’s where I wanna go, and I wanna study law. As for music, I don’t have any plans for it right now,” she said.
