HERITAGE: The Late, Great Jamal Edwards AKA Smokey Barz Jumps On This Grime Set With Scrufizzer (2005)

HERITAGE: The Late, Great Jamal Edwards AKA Smokey Barz Jumps On This Grime Set With Scrufizzer (2005)


October 28, 2022

We're never short of a reason to celebrate Jamal Edwards.

His tireless and enthusiastic approach to cataloguing and documenting Black British music for nearly two decades is of course something that should be endlessly celebrated, but it wasn't just SBTV that made him such a beloved figure. What made him truly loved by the scene was his personality and the fact that he really, really loved the music.

In a parallel universe, however, there exists a Jamal Edwards who stuck to the mic instead of picking up his camera. For an idea of what that might have looked like, here he is way back in 2005 during his time as part of the short-lived Smoked Out Crew alongside none other than Scrufizzer.

It was a pretty legendary night anyway, by all accounts, featuring sets from SLK, Swiss, Maxwell D, Sun Cycle, Freddie Krugger, 2Badda, Highly Rated, and a young Stylo G.

While it's a respectable effort from Jamal and he definitely had bars, we're still glad he jacked it in and set up SBTV instead. Rest in peace, Jamal.



Photography: Hyperfrank


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