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Jelly Roll spent $11,000 on fried chicken — but it's the tip he left for staff that stunned everyone

The singer wanted to celebrate his journey by sending fans to the place linked to his early days.
PUBLISHED DEC 9, 2024
Jelly Roll walking down the street and pointing towards the fried chicken restaurant in his video (Cover image source: Twitter (X) | Jelly Roll)
Jelly Roll walking down the street and pointing towards the fried chicken restaurant in his video (Cover image source: Twitter (X) | Jelly Roll)

Jelly Roll is not just good at striking a chord with fans through his music, but he often wins hearts with his generosity, be it leaving $700 to kids on a lemonade stand or paying college tuition for a fan. That's why the rapper and country singer treated fans to fried chicken worth thousands just before his concert at Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. He posted a video on his social media letting his fans know that he would be covering the bill for anyone who came to the restaurant called Gus' Chicken that day.

(L) Jelly Roll on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | (R) Jelly Roll talking in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning
(L) Jelly Roll on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | (R) Jelly Roll talking in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning | Image Source: YouTube | The Tonight Show | YouTube | CBS Sunday Morning 

The fans accepted the generous offer wholeheartedly and munched on fried chicken worth a whopping $11,268.12, as per the bill Jelly Roll posted on his Instagram story. He later took to X to post a video in which he talked about the reason behind his offer. The Grammy-nominated artist explained that the place was connected to his early days as a musician. "When I first started coming to Little Rock, Arkansas, I played a place called Sticky's Chicken Shack; it had 200 people. I sold it out; I was so proud. The next time I came I played a place called the Rev Room right here behind me. Right next to it is a place called Gus's Chicken. We ate Gus's Chicken every time we played the Rev room; I played that place 10 times," he said.



 

The singer then told the fans that it was simply to celebrate how far he had come in his career. "If you come to Gus's Chicken in Little Rock, Arkansas, today, the food is on me, baby, come get you a meal. This one's on me to honor our sold-out show at Simmons Bank Arena," he said. Jelly Roll left fans with an inspirational message at the end of his video, by adding, "To all y'all artists playing Sticky's and playing the Rev Room... I played Sticky's 10 times, I played the Rev Room 20 times, keep playing baby!"



 

Jelly Roll's net worth has seen a recent boost after his singles "Son of a Sinner" and "Need a Favor" took off back in 2022. Jelly Roll had a tumultuous childhood with his mother struggling with mental illness and addiction. His father on the other hand was a bookie and a meat salesman. Jelly Roll, who was born Jason DeFord, started selling drugs at a young age. When he was just 16 he was arrested with several others and charged with aggravated robbery and marijuana possession with the intent to sell. 



 

He then served a year behind bars and seven years of probation for the offenses. When he later got out of prison, he started focusing on making music first in the hip-hop genre and sold mixes out of the trunk of his car, which he later talked about while speaking to the New York Times. After the big break, his net worth surged to $12 million and continues to grow. Sadly, Jelly Roll faces many hurdles that stem from his felony record. One of the issues that he faces is traveling overseas.

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