Jelly Roll Mourns Death of ‘Loyal Friend’

Country and hip-hop artist Jelly Roll announced the passing of one of his closest friends and musical inspirations. Jelly Roll, 37, took to Instagram today to mourn the passing of Nashville rapper MyNameKushy. Jelly Roll and Kushy were friends growing up and relied on each other when trying to make it in the industry. “This breaks my heart to have to post,” Jelly Roll captioned alongside a photograph. “In fact, I literally never thought I would ever have to post something like this about one of the best humans I’ve ever met in my life…. standing next to me in this picture is my day 1 family from Antioch.” The singer appears in the photo with six men while standing beside him is Kushy. He explained that Kushy was pursuing his dreams while living in Antioch, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. “Me and the guys in this picture have been to hell and back together …” he wrote.

The “Son of the Dirty South” singer explained that he and Kushy had a special connection, which was part of their shared experience in the trenches, and in particular, Kushy stood by his side throughout his legal troubles as a youngster. They then used their friendship as a support system to achieve their dreams. “We did it all together , we started in the streets together and then were able to take our dream across the country together (multiple times over) Kushy was one of the most talented men I’ve ever bared witness to in my life,” he wrote. “He had the look, the voice, the lyrics, the charisma, and the fashion. (The last time I spoke to him I reminded him that the music business a 10-year grind and he was on year 9 so just be patient ).”

Aside from being an “ambassador of everything Antioch” and “a loyal friend,” Kushy was additionally a “loving father. “Earlier this week an inspiration to my entire community passed away,” he continued. “My heart hurts for his father, his son, his lady, and the rest of his family. FONZO, Quani, and the rest of my family just know my heart hurts for y’all the most. Watching your group lose Slink, Mondo, Nate, and Now Kushy breaks my heart for y’all.”

Jelly Roll did not reveal any details surrounding the death of his friend. He concluded, “I pray y’all keep the prime star brand and movement alive in their honor and be the LEGENDS y’all were born to be.”