Published
Sun, Feb 20, 2022, 23:20
- Founded in 2006, the YouTube channel helped boost the careers of countless emerging artists.
Jamal Edwards, founder of influential online music platform SBTV, has died aged 31.
Edwards's company confirmed the news to the BBC earlier today, February 20th. His mother, the singer and TV presenter Brenda Edwards, said he died on Sunday morning from a "sudden illness."
Born in Luton, England, in 1990, Edwards spent most of his childhood in West London. In 2006, aged only 15, he launched SBTV, a YouTube channel featuring DIY footage of grime MCs freestyling on street corners. He shot the first videos with a £20 mobile phone and a camcorder from his parents. The initials "SB" stand for "SmokeyBarz," his MC name at the time.
SBTV quickly amassed a following, helping boost the careers of countless rappers such as Dave, Stormzy and Bugzy Malone, as well as R&B artists, singer-songwriters and more. Pop juggernaut Ed Sheeran was big on SBTV before he signed to a major label.
In 2011, Edwards and SBTV featured in a Google Chrome ad, which introduced the platform to a wider audience and turned Edwards into a hugely influential figure in the world of digital media, inspiring a wave of self-made young creatives. In 2014, he was awarded an MBE by the UK government for services to music.
In addition to his work with SBTV, Edwards was a DJ, author, director, designer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 2019, he set up JE Delve, a charity to refurbish youth centres and provide opportunities to young people in the London Borough of Ealing.
SBTV currently has 1.2 million followers on YouTube and nearly a billion total views. Read tributes to Edwards, and browse the SBTV catalogue here.
Correction, February 21st: A previous version of this article said that SBTV's YouTube channel has had more than a billion views. It's actually approaching a billion.
Update, February 21st: The piece has been updated to reflect that Jamal Edwards died on Sunday morning from a "sudden illness," according to his mother.