DeFord grew up in Nashville, particularly the Southside community of Antioch. He received the nickname JellyRoll from his mother and kept it to honor an incarcerated friend. DeFord was incarcerated himself at age 14, which precipitated an ongoing cycle of incarceration until 2009 which included a drug possession conviction. Following the styles of UGK, 8Ball & MJG, Three 6 Mafia, Chamillionare and Paul Wall. JellyRoll began crafting his own rhymes as a therapeutic means to deal with difficult situations.