Jelly Roll Celebrates Redemption in Christ in New Hit 'Hands Up': 'God Is So Great'
Country music star Jelly Roll is putting his faith and redemption story front and center in a new song that is climbing the Billboard charts.
The upbeat song "Hands Up" contrasts his former life of putting his “hands up” during encounters with law enforcement – as in complying with a police officer’s commands – with his current posture of raising his hands in worship.
It entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on Aug. 8 at No. 100 and has been on the Hot Country Songs chart for seven weeks, currently at No. 28.
He filmed the music video at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, the same prison in California where Johnny Cash recorded an award-winning album.
The music video opens with audio of him reciting a prayer over the inmates, and includes scenes of everyone in the room – Jelly Roll and the inmates – lifting their hands in worship. Meanwhile, the video features dramatic reenactments of Jelly Roll’s redemption story – from his arrest and imprisonment to his eventual baptism.
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, spent much of his young adult years in and out of jail on robbery and drug charges before turning his life around.
The song begins by recounting his troubled past: “I’m 22, up to no good; dressed in black, I broke the glass to take back the bag of grass they took; that story ends against the fence right in that dead end neighborhood; cops told me what I told them, when he said ‘boy you better put your hands up; everybody get your hands up.’”
The song then shifts to his spiritual transformation: “Our last stop’s that little cross I came across some years ago; comin’ down and hidin’ out back there in that old sinner’s row; the devil on my shoulder finally found him somewhere else to go; I never did believe in ghosts ‘til the Holy One told me to throw my hands up; Oh Lord, I threw my hands up; evеrybody put your hands up; if you ain’t perfect but you try; put ‘em way up to the sky; touchin’ heaven kinda high; ain’t that where we wanna go when we die.”
On Instagram, Jelly Roll said the song carries a simple message: It’s never too late to change.
“Just a few years ago, I finally threw my Hands Up and started changing my life,” he wrote, referencing not only his spiritual transformation but also his new, healthier lifestyle that has led to a dramatic weight loss. “Today I’m throwing my hands up on top of a MOUNTAIN we decided to hike on a whim that would have been literally impossible for me to get up not long ago. God is GREAT y’all, God is so great.”
Jelly Roll won three Dove Awards in 2025 for his collaboration with Christian artist Brandon Lake on "Hard Fought Hallelujah."
Photo Credit: ©BrokenBowRecords
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published August 24, 2026.
