The founder of SBTV, an online music platform that helped launch the careers of artists like Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora Skepta, and Jessie J, among others; Jamal Edwards has died at the age of 31. Never wanting to take credits for what he ad did, he was helping in the background. It was AJ Tracey who was one of the firsts to pay tribute to Edwards by tweeting “RIP Jamal Edwards, west London legend status”.
No details have been released about the cause of his death, other than that it happened on Feb 20, Sunday morning.
We are deeply saddened to learn of Jamal Edwards passing. As the founder of @SBTVonline, his groundbreaking work & legacy in British music and culture will live on 🙌🏾🙏🏾✊🏾
Our hearts and thoughts are with his friends and family. pic.twitter.com/IQPcpkBG8w
— MOBO (@MOBOAwards) February 20, 2022
Born on 24 August 1990, Jamal Edwards spent his early years in his birthplace Luton, England, before moving to Acton, West London, where he lived with his mother Brenda, his stepfather Patrick, and his younger sister Tanisha. In 2021, Edwards set up Jamal Edwards Delve, a project aimed at refurbishing and reopening youth centres. He also became an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity run by the Prince of Wales. The charity helps young people set up their own companies.
During his school years, he started rapping. The videos he shot with his friends were posted on YouTube. These videos eventually led to become his business and the beginning of SBTV.
Earlier this month he had attended the Brit Awards. He is also reported to have performed as a DJ at a gig in north London on Saturday night.
Jamal Edwards started his YouTube channel “on a £20 phone” while he was at school. He is credited in giving early exposure to almost every key player in the music industry including Stormzy, Skepta, JME, J Hus, Dave, AJ Tracey, Krept & Konan,Lady Leshurr, Headie One… and so on.
After the success of SB TV Edwards became known as an entrepreneur and businessman. But, he was not a fan of being the frontman. He used to say, “I wanted to be the Banksy. I wanted no-one to know who I was.”
That was true until 2011, when he was featured in an ad. for Google Chrome. That was when he became a celebrity – searched highly in online platforms. He was known for raising awareness of mental health and running youth centers and also encouraging other young entrepreneurs.
Although successful as a a business person, his true passion was music and remained his true passion and he was supporting the artists he liked. According to report, he had encouraged Ed Sheeran to record a new verse for a song by a Nigerian artist Fireboy DML, in December 2021. The track titled, Peru, was very successful. One of the best thing artists remember about Edwards is that he never took credit for what he did.
Rest in peace!
