Jamal Edwards, a British YouTube star and music business visionary, passed away last Sunday, only weeks in the wake of going to the Brit Awards. He was just 31. Edwards is most popular for establishing SBTV, a music stage that aided send off the careers of stars like Ed Sheeran, Dave, Skepta, and a lot more legendary acts.
Edwards’ organization affirmed his passing to the BBC news station on Sunday. No reason for death was reported. He apparently played a show in North London Saturday night, and his passing happened Sunday morning. His IG post on Feb. 17, imparting an old image of himself to Sheeran.
Edwards was born in London in 1990 and started SBTV as a YouTube channel in ’06. The channel’s name was a reference to his rap stage name, ‘SmokeyBarz’. Jamal earned a BTEC diploma in media moving image from Ealing Art College.
SBTV focused on discovering new artists, including many who would become famous around the world. Aside from Sheeran, Dave, and Skepta, other artists who shared their early work on the platform include Rita Ora, Jessie J, Bugzy Malone, and Krept & Konan. The YouTube channel has over 1.22 million subscribers and its videos crossed 1 billion views.
Rest in peace and paradise Jamal. We are saddened and devastated.
Jamal Edwards, MBE, MBA, PhD
1990-2022