Billboard cover star Jelly Roll headlined Billboard’s inaugural ‘Live in Concert’ event on Tuesday evening (June 6) at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, leading a show that offered an electrifying performance, emotional catharsis and an uplifting message all in one — or as Jelly Roll calls it, “real music for real people with real problems.”
His blending of elements of rap, rock and country, melded with unflinching, brutally honest lyrics, gives a voice to the heartaches, struggles, hopes and dreams of a swath of the population that is often overlooked. The music — and the message — sparked a career surge for the artist from Antioch, Tennessee, one that garnered him No. 1 Billboard chart hits including “Dead Man Walking” and “Son of a Sinner.”
“As a young kid writing raps in his bedroom at 12 years old in Antioch, you dream of things like being on the cover of Billboard magazine,” Jelly Roll told the crowd Tuesday evening, eliciting cheers. “Today we can f–king say we did that,” he added, growing emotional. His performance was equally joyous and grateful; throughout, he praised fellow artists who have helped him in various capacities along the way, including Shinedown and 3-6 Mafia.
Earlier in the evening, as part of an industry-only event, Jelly Roll was honored as Billboard‘s country breakthrough artist of the year, while Jelly Roll’s fellow singer-songwriter ERNEST presented him with the honor.
Opening the show was rising artist Nate Smith, who earned his first No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit earlier this year with “Whiskey on You.”
Below, we look at five highlights from the evening’s concert:
