Who was Jamal Edwards? Tributes pour in as SBTV founder who helped launch Ed Sheeran dies aged 31

British entrepreneur Jamal Edwards recently passed away on February 20 at the age of 31. The news was confirmed by his manager to the PA news agency.

He was mostly known as the founder of the music platform SBTV, which has made grime familiar among people and launched many other musicians. His death was first reported by the BBC on Sunday evening after confirming with his agency.

The cause of death has not yet been revealed. Edwards had attended the BRIT Awards on February 8 and reportedly performed as a DJ in London on the night of February 19.

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In brief about Jamal Edwards

Born on August 24, 1990, Jamal Edwards spent his early years in Luton, England, before shifting to Acton, West London, where he resided with his mother Brenda, stepfather Patrick and younger sister Tanisha.

Edwards’ mother wanted him to pursue acting and drama, but he aimed to be successful in the music industry. He then attended Acton High School and struggled to get the grades required for college, eventually studying for an extra year.

Edwards then received his BTEC Diploma in Media Moving Image from Ealing Green College. He began rapping during his school years and recorded videos with his friends that were shared on YouTube. The videos were the beginning of SBTV.

He previously worked for four years at the retail chain Topman and then operated SBTV to support himself financially.

Jamal Edwards was mostly known as the founder of SBTV (Image via Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Edwards initially launched SBTV as a YouTube channel in 2006 and operated it as a youth broadcaster. He soon acquired many audiences to sign with famous record labels.

The channel’s name was derived from Jamal’s stage name, SmokeyBarz. SBTV first featured works from artists like Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Bugzy Malone, Stormzy, and others. The channel has around 1.22 million subscribers on YouTube and about one billion views.

SBTV soon became popular, and the author used his success to support mental health programs and launched a project aimed at refurbishing youth centers in 2021.

Edwards received an MBE in 2014 for his contributions to music. He was also an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity operated by the Prince of Wales that helps young entrepreneurs get their companies on their feet.

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Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Jamal Edwards was known to everyone as the founder of the online urban music platform SBTV. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise:

Edwards has no known survivors, and detailed information on his personal life remains unknown.