Jelly Roll is once again showing support for people in prison with his new music video, Hands Up.
In the video, the popular singer and Country Music Hall of Famer, born Jason DeFord, visits one of the most famous prisons in America: the San Quentin Rehabilitation Centre. The same prison Johnny Cash performed in for inmates in 1958, which went on to inspire one of the inmates, Merle Haggard, to pursue a country career.
“These are not actors. This is not a movie set,” Jelly Roll captioned a teaser on social media.
Billboard notes that the music video is exclusively available on Spotify for the first 48 hours of its release, before it becomes more widely available to watch elsewhere.
Text in the video reads:
For many incarcerated men, the journey toward freedom begins long before the prison gates ever open.
San Quentin now offers college classes, career training, restorative justice and re-entry programs designed to prepare people for life beyond prison.
San Quentin’s mission is no longer just to hold people accountable. It is to prepare them to successfully return to their communities.
Jelly Roll then appears in the clip, where he interacts with the men who are incarcerated before launching into a performance of Hands Up.
Check out the preview below. The YouTube music video premieres in 38 hours.
Jelly Roll was arrested on numerous occasions in his teenage years on charges including possession of marijuana and attempted robbery.
When he isn’t releasing hit after hit, Jelly Roll has hired felons to help out in his Rolling With Jelly food truck.
As he mentioned in a 2023 interview, he and business partner Jerry Gift Jr. “only hire second-chance guys”.
He explained: “Every other place in the world is like, 'If you got a felony, you can't work here.' We're only hiring felons. They run the food truck, and it comes out on tour with us some nights.”
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
