Cody Johnson And Jelly Roll: ‘The Respect Is Mutual’

Cody Johnson is a guy from Texas who sings country music in a cowboy hat in a pretty traditional style. Jelly Roll is a Nashville native who got his start in hip-hop and is enjoying the rewards and success of his first all-country album. You would think the two would not get along, but they are good friends.

Cody said backstage at CMA Fest earlier this month of his buddy who shares a cloudy past that includes a stint in jail, "Jelly's one of my favorite people to hang out with. You may not look at me and know this, but I have a pretty jaded past as well."

He added, "I've always said there was a time in my life when I had to make a decision, and that decision was to chase this dream professionally with a good mindset. There are a few mistakes I've made in my life and decisions in my life where I could have wound up here, or I very well could have wound up in jail."

Johnson knows what it is like in a Texas prison. He explained, "I used to work at the prison system in Texas, so I have a very thick background on incarceration, and you know, Jelly did time; we've talked about that. We struggle with a lot of the same pressures where we put so much pressure on ourselves to be the best husband, for me to be the best father. To our guys, to try to be the best leader, the best performer, to have it turned on when I walk in here with you guys (the press)."

He concluded, "It's almost like a blessing and a curse because we put so much on ourselves. And I relate to him, and he relates to me, and we're so opposite; you've got the cowboy hat and the face tattoos... I think it's a very opposite attract kind of thing. The respect is mutual and real recognizes real."

Cody Johnson has been making waves in country music in the last few years and has been taking home some awards including winning the Single of the Year award at the 2022 CMA Awards for his 'Till You Can't." He also won a 2023 CMT Music Award for Performance of the Year.

Cody recently announced during a CMT nominations special earlier this month, that he will be releasing a 24-track double album, titled Cody Johnson: Leather. And the new project will feature a duet with Carrie Underwood. He revealed this when he was asked what it was like to compete with Underwood for a CMT Award. "I actually just recorded a duet with her yesterday for my new album coming out. And getting to know her — man, she's such a pro and everybody that she surrounds herself with are all very professional, as well. I don't mean this to sound bad, but it's kind of hard to compete with that."

The new album will be Johnson's second consecutive double album, as his October 2021 project, Human, was also a two-disc project with 18 tracks.

As Cody continues his climb in country music, heading for superstar status, we take a look at the last couple of years of this Texas country star's life in Nashville and beyond.