On Tuesday (Apr. 8), Jelly Roll will receive an award that’s unlike anything he’s ever received before — even as one of the biggest stars in country music today.
Jelly will receive the Global Literacy Award at the 2025 World Literacy Summit, an event taking place this week in Oxford, U.K.
According to the event’s website, he is being recognized for “his global influence on literacy.”
That’s not all: He’s also giving a speech during the event.
According to the World Literacy Summit’s calendar of events, Jelly will address the crowd at 3:35 PM on Tuesday, in an address titled “The Journey of a Little Boy From Broken to Beautifully Broken.”
During his time at the podium, the singer will recount his childhood struggles and incarceration, as well as his journey to becoming “an advocate for improving foundational literacy within the justice system domestically and internationally, especially among youth offenders, through educational programs and resources.”
This honor is the kind of thing a young Jelly Roll couldn’t have imagined in his wildest dreams, for multiple reasons.
He’s said that when he first got out of jail, he was determined to avoid recidivism, but not because he had big dreams of superstardom. Jelly had recently found out that he was a dad, and he had to work his way through the court system to even be able to spend time with his then-toddler daughter Bailee.
“Music, being famous, wasn’t even a thought then. I just wanted to be a good dad,” Jelly said. “I just wanted to focus on being the best father I could be.”
Jelly got his GED while he was in jail, at the age of 23. Literacy and academics in the conventional sense weren’t his strong suit back then, though he did foster his love of music and lyricism while incarcerated, honing his skills as a rapper during his time there.
But the most shocking thing about Jelly’s newest accolade? He’s receiving it in London: A city that, up until a couple years ago, he thought he might never be able to visit.
Read More: How Jelly Roll’s Past Felony Makes Touring Complicated
Tennessee has a zero-forgiveness policy for violent offenders, and one of Jelly’s convictions was a felony charge for aggravated robbery. Even though he served his time, that felony is still on his record, meaning that, until a couple years ago, he was unable to obtain a passport.
Once he finally got one, he still ran into trouble with other countries agreeing to let him in. Specifically, he struggled to gain entry to the U.K.
“The trick is, when America finally says, ‘We’ll let you leave,’ the amount of countries that won’t let you come in,” the singer revealed in 2023. “We had to cancel my London debut show.”
Now, two years later, Jelly isn’t just performing in London — he’s going to the city to receive a special award for his global advocacy.
Jelly’s speech on Tuesday is in partnership with Christopher R. Swanson, who is a sheriff in Genessee County, Mich. Last summer, Swanson swore in Jelly as a deputy sheriff for the county, and Jelly was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new recording studio inside Genessee County Jail.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
