Jason DeFord—you know him as Jelly Roll—didn't just wake up one day and find himself at the top of the Billboard charts with a handful of Grammys. It was a long, messy grind. Honestly, the story of jelly roll record labels is a case study in how the modern music industry actually works when you don't fit the standard "pop star" mold. He spent years in the underground rap scene, selling CDs out of his trunk and building a massive YouTube following before Nashville ever took him seriously.
Most people think he’s a new artist. He’s not. He’s been releasing music since the early 2000s.
The Wild West of Independent Rap
Before the glitz of BMG and Republic, Jelly Roll was the king of the "independent struggle." He started out on Wyte Music, the label founded by Three 6 Mafia affiliate Lil Wyte. This was back in the early 2010s when the Nashville rap scene was basically invisible to the rest of the world. He was making "hick-hop" before that was even a buzzword.
During this era, it wasn't about radio play. It was about raw connection. He released projects like Year Round (as part of the group SNO) and Strictly 4 My Homies. These weren't major label productions. They were grit and basement beats.
Eventually, he moved toward a more self-sustained model. For a long time, he operated under his own imprint, War Dog, often in partnership with It's Not A Label Records. This is where the business gets interesting. While major labels were busy looking for the next shiny thing, Jelly Roll was owning his masters and building a direct-to-consumer relationship that most artists would kill for. He was basically a tech startup disguised as a rapper. He realized early on that if you own the audience, you own the leverage.
The BMG and Stoney Creek Pivot
Everything changed when he decided to go country—or at least, when he decided to let the country world embrace him. The primary player among jelly roll record labels today is Stoney Creek Records, which is an imprint of the BBR Music Group (Broken Bow Records).
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BBR was acquired by BMG Rights Management in 2017. This was the perfect setup for a guy like Jelly. Why? Because BMG operates differently than the "Big Three" (Universal, Sony, Warner). They often use a partnership model that allows for more artist autonomy. When Jelly Roll signed with Stoney Creek, he wasn't a "new" artist they had to develop. He was a finished product with millions of fans.
He needed the "machine" for one specific thing: Country Radio.
Despite his massive streaming numbers, country music still lives and dies on the FM dial. Stoney Creek had the infrastructure to push "Son of a Sinner" and "Need a Favor" to the top of the charts. It was a symbiotic relationship. They gave him the airwaves; he gave them a guaranteed hitmaker who already knew how to market himself.
Breaking Down the Partnerships
It’s rarely just one label anymore. The industry uses "joint ventures" like most people use salt—they're everywhere.
- Stoney Creek/BBR: This is his country home. They handle the radio promotion, the Nashville establishment stuff, and the heavy lifting in the country market.
- Republic Records: If you look at the fine print on his recent pop crossovers or major awards pushes, Republic (a division of Universal Music Group) often enters the fray. They are the heavy hitters for Top 40 radio.
- Bailee & Buddy: This is his own personal label/business entity, named after his children. It’s a sign that he’s kept his independent spirit alive even within the corporate structure.
Why the Labels Finally Bit
For years, Nashville ignored him. He was "too tattooed," "too rap," or "too honest." But the data became impossible to ignore. By the time he signed his major deal, he was already selling out arenas.
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Labels usually take a huge risk on an artist. With Jelly Roll, the risk was non-existent. He proved that the "outsider" brand was actually his biggest asset. He didn't change for the jelly roll record labels; they changed their strategy to fit him.
He often talks about how he felt like the "black sheep" of the industry. Even now, he's signed to a major, but he carries himself like an indie artist. He’s transparent about his past—the prison time, the addiction, the mistakes. Labels used to hide that stuff. Now, they market it. It’s a weird shift in the cultural zeitgeist where authenticity is the highest currency.
The "Master Ownership" Conversation
One thing that gets overlooked is the complexity of his back catalog. Because he was on so many different jelly roll record labels early on—Wyte Music, various indie distros, and his own imprints—his discography is a bit of a legal patchwork.
If you look at Spotify, you’ll see a dozen different "labels" listed under his older albums. Some of those are defunct. Some are small indie shops. This is the reality for artists who grind for 20 years. They don't have one clean contract; they have a trail of handshakes and short-term deals.
Jelly Roll has been vocal about the importance of being a businessman. He’s not just a singer; he’s an earner. He’s managed to navigate the transition from a "local rapper" to a "global superstar" without losing the rights to his soul. That’s rare. Usually, the "big machine" eats the "little guy" in that transition.
The Impact of BMG’s Global Reach
Being under the BMG umbrella gave him something he didn't have before: international scale. While he was huge in the American South and Midwest, BMG could put him in front of audiences in Europe and Australia.
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They treated him like a global brand.
This is where the "multi-genre" strategy really took off. By not pigeonholing him into just one of the jelly roll record labels' specific lanes, they allowed him to be on a rock track one week and a country ballad the next.
Moving Forward in the Music Business
If you’re looking to follow the Jelly Roll blueprint, there are a few hard truths to swallow.
First, the label is a bank and a megaphone, not a creator. Jelly Roll did the creating for fifteen years on his own dime. By the time he partnered with Stoney Creek and BMG, he was the one holding the cards.
Second, the "imprint" matters. Being on Stoney Creek—a label known for breaking acts that don't always fit the "bro-country" mold—was a strategic move. It gave him enough proximity to the mainstream to be heard, but enough distance to stay "outlaw."
The industry is watching him closely. He’s the proof that you can be "unmarketable" and still become the biggest thing in music if you build your own foundation first.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Music Labels
- Audit your own data before pitching. Labels in 2026 don't care about "potential." They care about proof. Use tools like Chartmetric or Soundcharts to see where your listeners actually are. Jelly Roll knew his numbers better than the suits did.
- Look for Joint Ventures (JVs). If you’re an independent artist, don't just sign your life away. Look for "distribution plus" deals or JVs where you keep a larger percentage of your masters in exchange for less upfront cash.
- Own your niche. Jelly Roll didn't try to sound like Florida Georgia Line. He sounded like Jelly Roll. The more specific your sound, the more valuable you are to a label because you bring a "built-in" audience they can't replicate.
- Diversify your "imprints." Don't be afraid to use different partners for different genres. If you do folk and electronic, you might need two different specialized teams rather than one giant, distracted major label.
- Focus on the "Radio Machine" last. Build your streaming and social presence first. Use a major label specifically for the things you can't do yourself—like getting a song onto 150 country radio stations simultaneously.
The story of the labels behind the man is really just a story of a guy who waited until he was too big to be told "no."