Singer Jelly Roll testifies on Capitol Hill about fentanyl, says he used to be part of problem

Country music singer and rapper Jelly Roll testified before Congress on Thursday about the fentanyl crisis in America and said he used to be part of the problem. 

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, has been open about his past conviction for drug dealing. He now advocates for victims of drug overdoses from heroin and fentanyl.

"I was a part of the problem," he told the Senate Banking Committee. "I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution."

The musician, who told committee members that he doesn't identify as a Democrat or a Republican, said roughly 190 people a day die of overdoses in the U.S.

"I have never paid attention to a political race in my life," he said. "Ironically, I think that makes me the perfect person to speak about this because fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology."

Fox News reports that overdose deaths involving drugs such as fentanyl are expected to rise, with 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021. 

"I've attended more funerals than I care to share with y'all," Jelly Roll also said.

"This committee, I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I've carried of people I loved dearly, deeply in my soul. Good people. Not just drug addicts. Uncles, friends, cousins, normal people — some people that just got in a car wreck and started taking a pain pill manage it. One thing led to the other … how fast it spirals out of control."