Country music sensation Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, recently opened up about the regrettable decisions he’s made regarding his tattoos. In a candid interview on The Howard Stern Show, the 39-year-old artist revealed that some of his tattoos were done in such unsanitary conditions that they led to staph infections.
Jelly Roll, known for his extensive body art, including tattoos on his face and neck, shared with Stern that his journey with tattoos began in his youth. He recounted an early attempt to get a face tattoo, which was initially refused by an artist. It wasn’t until he was incarcerated that he managed to get his first face tattoo, which subsequently made other artists more willing to work on that area.
The conversation took a serious turn when Stern pointed out the obvious hygiene concerns of getting tattoos in prison. Jelly Roll admitted, “I’ve gotten staph infections from bad tattoos. I learned nothing. You talk about bull-headed. And I still went back to the same guy that gave me the staph infection!” He described the experience as “next-level crazy.”
Jelly Roll’s tattoos are a mix of professional and amateur work, some of which were acquired during his time in jail. He has previously expressed regret over the majority of his tattoos. In a GQ interview earlier this year, he confessed, “I regret 98% of these tattoos, 97, almost all of them. Like core philosophies are rooted in my life when I was 17 and now I’m 40, I’m like, ‘What the f— was I thinking?'”
Despite his overall regret, Jelly Roll mentioned that he would keep a few of his tattoos, particularly those on his face. “That’s probably one of the few I’d keep,” he said. “I love my cross, I love my slash.” However, he was less forgiving about the tattoos on his arms, which he described as “bad art.”
One particularly regrettable tattoo on his arm was obtained in exchange for a quarter sack of bad weed. “I have a tattoo on my arm that I gave somebody a quarter sack of bad weed for. And it looks like a quarter sack of bad weed tattoo,” he told Stern. He added that while the tattoos might look decent from a distance because they are clustered together, a closer inspection reveals their poor quality.
Jelly Roll’s journey with tattoos is intertwined with his tumultuous past, including multiple incarcerations for felony robbery and drug charges. He shared that some of his tattoos were done by fellow inmates, who, despite their artistic skills, could only offer “cheap” tattoos. This often led to subpar results and, in some cases, infections.
Reflecting on his past decisions, Jelly Roll said, “Almost all my tattoos represent who I was, almost none of them represent who I am.” This disconnect between his current self and his past is something he grapples with, especially as he continues to evolve both personally and professionally.
In addition to discussing his tattoos, Jelly Roll also touched on his upcoming album. He revealed that he has been deeply immersed in the project for the past 11 months, writing more songs than ever before. “This has been my whole life the last 11 months,” he said. “I’ve never wrote more songs. I’ve never took it more serious and I’m probably gonna release more music this year than I’ve ever released in a year of my career.”
Jelly Roll’s candidness about his tattoos and the infections they’ve caused serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of hygiene and quality when it comes to body art. His story is a reminder that while tattoos can be a form of self-expression, they also come with risks, especially when done in less-than-ideal conditions.
As Jelly Roll continues to make waves in the country music scene, his past remains a significant part of his narrative. His tattoos, both loved and regretted, are a testament to his journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
