Addiction in Tampa Bay Cries Out For Joyner Lucas and Jelly Roll
With the death and loss of friends and loved ones it is breathtaking as addiction, in Tampa Bay, cries out for Joyner Lucas and Jelly Roll. The song is “Best For Me” and both with special ties to the Bay, rap phenomenon Joyner Lucas and country’s best new artist Jelly Roll have stumbled onto a soul-stirring approach to the addiction and overdose story. The song tells the two-sided story of addiction and the struggle that comes with it.
This story is one that is familiar to Tampa families. We’ve experienced both sides, even here at the radio stations. We buried incredibly beautiful souls and we also celebrated as a few came out so much stronger, on the other side. It’s a worthwhile moment when addiction in Tampa Bay brings raw emotion from the Joyner Lucas and Jelly Roll song.
Joyner Lucas and Jelly Roll Grabbed Tampa Bay
When we introduced it, I could only say that “someone needs to hear this today” and I read an Instagram comment, left on my page, regarding the song. Black_misha7 commented: “Thank you. It’s so crazy you’re playing this song…I was just dealing with my mother, who is on drugs really bad”. After reading, the text line starts to fill will with love for listener’s story. We had not gotten to the crisp, acapella open of Jelly Roll’s first line “how can you love someone and learn to let the go” and you could already feel the city lean in.
The song is playing, and we see tear, heart and flame emojis filling the screens of every DJ inside the studio. Listener 1388: “I cried”, Listener 8072: “Love this, my mom struggles with drugs.” Followed by Listener 6440: “In school line fighting back tears for my best friend she’s like my sister”. Whatever the narcotic hurdle of choice, drug abuse and hit Tampa hard and these days songs don’t grab you like this one did, this morning.
Tampa Tale of Two Future Musical Stars
As told to TheHypeMagazine.com, Joyner openly discusses his post-graduation struggles of finding work, here in Tampa. If listening to his 2015 mixtape “Along Came Joyner”, you hear the skill and ability but also the frustration of homelessness bubbling, inside him. Specifically, when talking about the song “Long Way” Joyner said, “I had flashbacks to days I slept under the bridge because I couldn’t find a job”. His struggle and hustle to get on made him cross paths and pitch his early music to us for airplay on WiLD. At the same time, a hip-hop heavy Jelly Roll was being sneaked backstage, at WiLDsplash by one of our former DJ’s (who later sat with him at Taco Bus and suggested that he tried country music). These two super-talented guys come together again and affect the city with their vision and skill. Kudos to you both. While we’re giving flowers, I’d love for our readers to know that this isn’t pandering but truly genuine messaging from a person who’s lived it. Jelly Roll is still living it! While not drug dealing anymore, his baby mother is still an addict. He spoke about the painful anticipation of having to his daughter that mom is gone while in front of Congress. This committee met regarding the Fentanyl bill and his contribution makes today’s tears even more special. Do yourself a favor and watch below. The messaging is greatly needed but the backstory, of not judging a book by it’s cover, cannot be lost.
