Jelly Roll stopped by a Flint, Michigan, prison where he received a hair cut from an inmate who had just graduated from a barber program.
On January 8, Detroit’s country radio station 99.5 WYCD posted several videos of Jelly Roll’s visit to a Flint-area prison. Not only did he perform for the inmates, he also handed out diplomas to inmates!
The diplomas were for inmates who completed the IGNITE program, which stands for Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education. The IGNITE program was set up to give inmates job training so they can find employment after they are released.
During the commencement that Jelly Roll was present for, 23 Genesee County Jail inmates graduated with GEDs, barber certifications, and welding certifications.
Jelly Roll’s visit was actually on December 5, 2023, but the radio station just posted some of the content on January 8.
While Jelly Roll is on the road, he makes a point to visit prisons in the cities he has tour stops.
Recently in an interview with CBS Sunday Mornings, Jelly Roll actually returned to the jail cell where he spent 18 months.
“This is jail. It sucks. Every one I’ve ever been to,” he said.
Jelly Roll has come a long way since being incarcerated, and he of all people knows that.
“Coming here, after getting nominated for two Grammys, it hits different,” he said.
The barber who cut Jelly Roll’s hair just graduated from the IGNITE program with his barber certification, and the Grammy nominated singer was his first-ever client.
The singer sits in the chair and the inmate puts a cape around him and begins asking him what he’d like for his haircut. The inmate began lining up Jelly Roll’s beard as a few correction officers looked on with pride.
The IGNITE program is really changing the lives of these men, and we applaud Jelly Roll for being so supportive, seeing as he knows exactly what they are going through.
Watch the video below of Jelly Roll getting a haircut below.