Jamal Edwards, YouTuber and Pioneering Music Entrepreneur, Dies at 31

Jamal Edwardsa British music impresario who championed the rap and the grime from the UK and helped launch the careers of artists like Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy, He has died at the age of 31.

His mother, broadcaster Brenda Edwards, said Monday that her son had died the day before after a “sudden heart attack” in the house he shared with her. She said the family was “completely devastated. He was the center of our world.”

The YouTube star passed away on Sunday morning in Acton, west London, after performing at Bubba Oasis in Angel on Saturday night.

SBTV on YouTube

Edwards founded the SBTV online music channel when he was a teenager in 2006. Frustrated that he couldn’t find the music he liked online, he began filming performances by friends in his West London neighbourhood. SBTV now has more than 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube and has helped a generation of artists, including rappers like Stormzy, Skepta and Dave, gain national and international attention.

It was frustrating to go to school and have everyone talk about “how can we get our videos on MTV,” Edwards later recalled.

“YouTube was like a year old. I said: ‘They gave me a camera for Christmas, I’m going to start recording people and upload it’. Everybody looked at me like “what are you doing, like you can compete with these big companies”. But I think I was early enough to believe I could make a change.”

Order of the British Empire

Edwards received an MBE (Order of the British Empire), an honor from the Queen, in 2014 for services to music and was an ambassador for Prince Charles’s charity, the Prince’s Trust.

“Thinking of Jamal Edwards’ family today. His work in music, but also as an ambassador for a new generation, including his work for The Prince’s Trust, was an inspiration to many,” Prince Charles’ Clarence House office tweeted.

Edwards’ sudden death shocked the British show business. ”My first interview was with you. Jamal,” singer Rita Ora wrote on Instagram. “Our endless talks about music and the belief you had in me and so many of us before we even believed in ourselves. I’m devastated”. (I)