I’ve been doing rock radio for over 25 years and I’ve watched genres and artists flex over that time. What is considered “rock”, “active rock”, “alt rock”, etc.  And hip hop based artists doing rock crossovers is not uncommon at all. Look at Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, just to name a couple.

Prior to moving here almost eight years ago, I had heard of Jelly Roll by working in the music department of my day job at Best Buy. I knew he did hip hop, or rather hick hop. I had seen CDs in our stock where he had done collaborations with rappers like Lil Wyte, DJ Paul and Haystack. Moving here, I learned that Jelly Roll and Haystack were kind of a big deal around here, being that they hail from Antioch and Lebanon, Tennessee, respectively and currently both reside in Nashville.  Not to mention frequent appearances at The Warehouse.

Imagine my surprise though when just a couple of weeks ago, I start seeing his name show up on the rock radio charts. I thought it was a mistake, like honestly was not sure in the slightest as to HOW he was suddenly being played on rock stations. Then I listened to this new song.

To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement. This is not the sound I had heard from him previously. Not even close. “Dead Man Walking” comes from his new album that was just released in September 2021, Ballads of the Broken. Jelly Roll manages to bring his hip/hick hop roots into the fold with a touch of outlaw country and a taste of rock.