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    Jamal Edwards, who nurtured U.K. musical talent, dead at 31

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments556 Views
    LONDON (AP) --

    Jamal Edwards, a British music entrepreneur who championed U.K. rap and grime and helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy, has died. He was 31.

    His mother, broadcaster Brenda Edwards, said Monday that her son died the day before after a sudden illness. She said the family was "completely devastated. He was the center of our world."

    Edwards founded the online music channel SBTV as a teenager in 2006. Frustrated that he could not find the music he loved online, he began filming performances by friends in his west London neighborhood. SBTV now has more than 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube and has helped a generation of performers, including rappers like Stormzy, Skepta and Dave, gain national and international attention.

    "It was a frustration of going to school and everyone talking about 'How do we get our videos on MTV,'" Edwards later recalled. "YouTube was like a year old. I was like 'I've got a camera for Christmas, I'm going to start filming people and uploading it.'

    "Everyone was looking at me like 'what are you doing, like you can compete with these major corporations.' But I think I was early enough to believe that I could make a change."

    Edwards was given an MBE, an honor from the queen, in 2014 for services to music and was an ambassador for Prince Charles' charity, the Prince's Trust.

    Prince Charles' Clarence House office tweeted: "Thinking of the family of Jamal Edwards today. His work in music but also as an ambassador for a new generation, including his work for The Prince's Trust, were an inspiration to so many."

    Edwards' sudden death shocked Britain's entertainment business.

    "My first ever interview was with you. Jamal," singer Rita Ora wrote on Instagram. "Our endless talks on music and the belief you had in me and so many of us before we even believed in ourselves. I'm devastated."

    Actor Adam Deacon said he was "heartbroken."

    "Jamal was one of the nicest, most down to earth and humble men I've met in this industry. He always gave me time even when no one else would. He was an inspiration and what he achieved in life was truly remarkable."

    Rapper and producer Example, whose full name is Elliot Gleave, said: "Can't believe you're gone. 31 years old. Can't find the words right now."

    Tags:Jamal EdwardsPrince's TrustSBTV



    Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    "Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.

    The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.

    And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).

    This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.

    "'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."

    As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More

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