From SBTV beginnings to MBE success: Jamal Edwards’ incredible career as he dies aged 31

metro.co.uk:

but his cause of death has not yet been confirmed.The entrepreneur, author and director – who worked with Ed Sheeran and Jessie J in the past – was awarded an MBE for his services to music in 2014.He also became an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity run by the Prince of Wales which helps young people set up their own companies.The late star was born in Luton in 1990, to mother Brenda Edwards.

As a child, he was introduced to stage school by his mother, who came to fame while taking part season four of the X Factor.He originally attended Acton High School, before moving on to Ealing College to continue his studies.During his school years, he began rapping and posting the videos on YouTube, which would eventually become his business and the beginnings of SBTV, aka SmokeyBarz TV.Leaving school, Edwards got a job in retail but continued to work on videos avidly, eventually making the move to producing clips full time.

Edwards officially launched SBTV in 2006 as an online media platform to discover emerging artists, and went on to help launch the careers of some of the world’s most successful musicians – including Ed Sheeran, Dave and Jessie J, before they were signed to major labels.

The channel also featured music from the likes of Stormzy, Rita Ora, Krept & Konan, Bugzy Malone and more.Speaking about these early videos to the BBC, he said in a 2013 interview: ‘You can say my videos had mixed reviews to begin with, some people didn’t get them, but others thought they were sick [good].’‘So I started to put them up on YouTube so everyone could see them, and it just grew from there.’ By the age of 23, Edwards was worth more than £8million, and released a book titled, Self Belief: The Vision: How To Be a Success.