BE MORE JAMAL

“Jamal opened a door and thousands ran through”

The tributes for Jamal Edwards that have flooded through give the world just a glimpse of how he conducted himself as an entrepreneur, a visionary in the music industry, a mentor, a colleague, a friend and a son. And he was so much more.

I never worked with Jamal but watched and admired his from afar. SBTV was THE place to run to when you wanted to know who was breaking through in music. They championed artists from as early as 2006, the year after YouTube was founded. Watching Jamal build a team and work it out as he went along was pretty inspiring to see in real time. His message of Self Belief was simple but worked, not just for him but everyone who listened and learnt from him. His Google Chrome ad campaign introduced him and his work to people around the world.

Recently he was a guest on Loose Women, the show where his mum Brenda is a regular host. She gushed with pride, whilst he shared how much he admired and learnt from her work ethic.

There’s a reason why Jamal always stands out amongst a sea of people keen to forge a career in music and media… He was all about seeing others win. As much as his career was thriving, he was always focused on giving others opportunities and connecting creatives across all industries.

Jamal was busy believing in people before they fully felt it themselves. Putting ego to the side and saying yes to unpaid work, not to get ahead, but the help others learn. He was a mentor with Creative Mentor Network, where I used to work. With CMN, he took the time to learn how to become a great mentor to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. He also headed back to his college to give advice to a class of keen teenagers who listened to his tips on how to get started, what to do when you’re feeling uninspired and tales of how he used to bump into teachers late at night after filming freestyles.

He connected with countless young people who, because of him, had their names spoken in rooms they’d not stepped foot in. No, Jamal isn’t the only person to do things like this, but he stood out far beyond anyone else because of how this was integral to his vision and because of what lengths he’d go to see others live their dreams.

31 is too young to go. And even with the reminder of how much he did in those years, it’s still much too young to go. And with so much heartache, everyone who knew of him is sending love to his family and friends. I think about what can we learn from Jamal Edwards? His legacy is huge, here are just a few lessons I’m taking with me: