“F64” is Ed Sheeran’s call-to-home tribute to his best friend and founder of SBTV, Jamal Edwards, who died in early 2022. Behind the devastating news stood Edwards’s revolutionary SBTV that changed the entire infrastructure of the music industry around new talent.
Sheeran always credited Edwards for launching his career after he performed “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You,” an acoustic freestyle as part of SBTV’s A64 series on his YouTube channel. Edwards and the R&B/Hip-Hop platform also helped the careers of other major UK talent, including Stormzy and Dave.
Around the time of Edwards’s death, Sheeran recounted his early days as an artist with Jamal to the BBC:
“I really don’t think I would have been given the opportunities that I was given had it not been for Jamal putting his arm around me. I was slogging on the acoustic singer-songwriter scene for a very long time, just blending in… And Jamal was this sort of tastemaker.”
Sheeran added: “My manager, my record label, saw me first on SBTV. I really don’t think I would have been allowed through certain doors if it hadn’t been for Jamal,” he said. “He was just all about finding people and showing people new opportunities, at a time where the industry was mostly based in London.”
“F64” by Ed Sheeran
The freestyle tribute opens up with Sheeran dedicating the song to ‘Jam,’ a nickname for Edwards. The minimal kick drum and piano leave all the impact in the “Shape of You” singer’s raw vocals. The lyrics are a solo catch-up session, leaving the listener glimpsing into a friendship cut short.
“And since we last spoke, I’ve become a father of two / Tryna live life with a smile, but that’s been harder to do / ‘Cause all I wanna do is talk about you / But these tears won’t let me talk about you / We should’ve known that we’d be lost without you / Therapy sessions, diggin’ deep in depression / I got a life full of blessings, but this just breaks my fuckin’ heart.”
Lyrics of “F64” by Ed Sheeran
While his rap is a fast-moving story fueled by harbored emotions, he takes a deep breath on the chorus. You can also feel the absence within Sheeran’s world in the vigil music video.
Ed returned to his SBTV stomping ground days with the music video uploaded to the company’s channel. Filmed at night in an empty Stamford Bridge (the home turf of Edwards’s beloved Chelsea FC,) the singer stands inside a circle of lone candles with his friend’s name spelled out in the stands.
“Jamal had a unique connection with artists and creatives and was happiest when he was connecting and creating. His journey began locally but took him on a global adventure on the way forming unique bonds. One of these bonds was with long-time friend and brother Ed Sheeran. From a tweet to a long-lasting brotherhood.”
Exerpt from the “F64” music video description on Youtube
What do you think of Ed Sheeran’s touching “F64” tribute to his friend and SBTV leader, Jamal Edwards? Let us know in the comments!
