If you’re a fan of Jelly Roll who doesn’t live in the United States, you may have had some trouble seeing him live, because he hasn’t toured internationally. The rapper-turned-country star, 39, opened up about having some trouble booking shows outside of the United States during a conversation with Jon Bon Jovi, 62, for Interview Magazine on Wednesday, June 5.
During the conversation, the “Livin’ on a Prayer” rocker told Jelly Roll that he had heard rave reviews of his Stagecoach performance, and he asked if he had gotten a chance to tour in places outside of America. The rapper, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, said that he was in the process of trying to work it out. “I’m so excited. We’re figuring out the final pieces of some legal puzzles for me to get overseas,” he said.
Jon seemed not to believe that Jelly Roll was running into those problems, but the “Need a Favor” singer explained why it had been an issue. “It’s funny, America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies. We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor,” he said.
Jelly has spoken about his legal issues plenty of times in the past. He’s admitted that during his younger years, he was arrested multiple times, mostly on drug-related charges. He’s also been charged with aggravated robbery, but he’s been open about changing his life around. “I never want to overlook the fact that it was a heinous crime,” he once told Billboard in an interview. “This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid that made the worst decision that he could have made in life and people could have got hurt and, by the grace of God, thankfully, nobody did.”
Jon admitted that he felt like the laws were antiquated, but he was rooting for the singer. “I hope so. Those are really archaic rules. Entertainers should be able to go and do their job,” he said.
For those fans based in the United States, Jelly will be embarking on his “Beautifully Broken” tour in North America later in August, and it will run through the fall.