Jelly Roll Gets Candid On When He’ll Know It’s Time for Him To Retire

Jelly Roll made a name for himself with his music over the years. First, he gained a cult following as an underground rapper. More recently, he became an award-winning country hitmaker. After a string of wins at some of the most important genre awards shows, the Antioch, Tennessee native has come to be known for his fiery acceptance speeches.

Recently, Jelly Roll appeared on Audacy’s Mo & StyckMan Plus to talk about his current single “Halfway to Hell,” his fitness journey, and more. During the conversation, he talked about the inspiration behind his acceptance speeches and when he’ll know it’s time to leave the music business.

Jelly Roll Discusses His Inspirational Acceptance Speeches

“Lainey said something along the lines of I’m gonna step aside and let Jelly start preaching,” StykMan said, in reference to their shared ACM win. “Where does that come from? Do you know you’re going to do that?” he wanted to know.

“No, I don’t,” Jelly Roll said. “I wish I knew. God takes over in those moments, man. I just want to encourage. That’s the biggest thing I’m thinking while I’m up there,” he added. He went on to say that he remembers watching artists give lackluster acceptance speeches. “The whole world is watching and you act like you don’t even care.”

“If I ever get the whole world to watch me for a moment, I want to love on somebody or encourage somebody or inspire somebody,” he explained. “Maybe I’m thinking about it wrong. Maybe they’ve all had it right,” he said. “Could you imagine being at an awards show, being recognized for your art in front of the entire world and you win and you act like you didn’t even want to come? It’s crazy to me,” he added.

“If I ever start feeling that way, somebody make me quit. If somebody in this industry really loves me, tap me on the shoulder and say ‘Look man, you need to take some time off.’ Let me down gently if you want to. But please just let me down,” he said.