Jelly Roll ends RiverBeat on a high note with country, hip-hop and a Three 6 Mafia chant
Heavy storms early in the day and continuing wet conditions later in the evening did not prevent the first RiverBeat Music Festival from ending on a high note, as rap-rooted country star Jelly Roll capped the event at Downtown Memphis' Tom Lee Park on Sunday night.
One of the hottest acts in music, the Antioch, Tennessee, native has exploded over the last two years, winning a CMA Award, garnering Grammy nominations and scoring a string of No. 1 radio country hits including “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor” and “Save Me.”
Even with the bad weather Jelly Roll attracted what appeared to be the biggest crowd over all three days of RiverBeat. No real surprise there, as he played a sold-out concert at the BankPlus Amphitheater in Southaven last summer, which left folks in the region buzzing and anticipating his return.
“It’s a dream come true to be playing by this river in my home state,” Jelly Roll announced to open the show. (It's worth noting he was the only performer to help feed festivalgoers, as his Rolling With Jelly food truck made an appearance on Sunday at Tom Lee Park.)
In between performances of his recent hits — including a version of “Son of a Sinner” that he dedicated to “those living between being right and being wrong” — Jelly Roll talked about his love for country music, how his mother had turned him on to Waylon and Willie, George Jones and George Straight, before nodding to another now departed favorite from his youth, Toby Keith.
“Tonight, we’re gonna do one for God’s greatest cowboy. Rest in peace, Big Dog Daddy,” Jelly Roll announced before launching into a rendition of Keith’s “Should've Been a Cowboy.”
Shifting musical gears midway through his set, Jelly Roll noted that he was fresh off a festival appearance at California’s Stagecoach Festival. “Much as I loved my time on the West Coast, it feels great to be home,” he said to cheers from the audience. “You can tell I’m from Tennessee because I grew up listening to gangsta rap music.”
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As he told a story of buying old rap mixtapes — and later selling his own — he took time to shout out some local legends, leading the crowd in a spirited Three 6 Mafia chant, praising fellow RiverBeat performers 8Ball and MJG, and introducing his friend and frequent collaborator, “Memphis’ own Lil Wyte!”
Jelly Roll and Wyte had previously teamed up in the group SNO and on a variety of joint projects, and he has often credited Wyte with encouraging him to embrace his gifts as a singer, helping to usher in his second act as a country star.
The moment of Memphis love served as a prelude to a crowd-pleasing hip-hop medley that took in songs by Eazy-E, DMX, Eminem, Biz Markie, OutKast and more. Jelly Roll soon transitioned back into his own material, turning up the energy for heavy, emotive versions of “Son of the Dirty South” and “Wild Ones” before bringing things to a close.
Jelly Roll’s performance helped provide a positive even promising conclusion to RiverBeat's first year.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jelly Roll pays tribute to Toby Keith during RiverBeat fest in Memphis
