Country Star, Jelly Roll, Gives Back

Jelly Roll is paying it forward.

On Friday's episode of the PEOPLE Every Day podcast with host Janine Rubenstein, the country rap artist, 37, said he wants "to bring hope" to troubled youth following the release of his latest album Ballads of the Broken.

"It's important, man. I think it's important that we give back, especially [to] our kids," he said. "Man, our youth are so impressionable and the old quote goes, 'None of them asked to be here.'

The musician, born Jason DeFord, continued, "They were born into just whatever situation it was, and sometimes they can't see past that situation or that neighborhood or that environment. I just hope to bring hope to that and kind of be a beacon and a light for those kids."

With the help of nonprofit Impact Youth Outreach, DeFord is donating a recording studio to Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville, where he was incarcerated as a kid and discovered his passion for music.

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