Ed Sheeran is honoring his friend and SBTV founder Jamal Edwards in a new song, “F64.†(Edwards died on February 20, 2022, from cardiac arrhythmia after taking recreational drugs, according to the BBC.) Sheeran’s song pays tribute to the U.K. music producer and content creator with a piano-backing track and raplike cadence. “Yo Jam, this is a letter to you / It’s been a while, but it’s been hard for me to get in the booth / Since we last spoke, I’ve become a father of two / Trying to live life with a smile, but that’s been harder to do / ’Cause all I wanna do is talk about you,†Sheeran says in the opening.
Edwards was the founder of SBTV, a music platform that assisted Sheeran’s rise in the music industry in the early 2010s. The freestyle marks the return of SBTV’s flagship series, where artists drop 64 new bars for fans. Below, watch a special edition “F64†filmed inside Stamford Bridge stadium, which houses Chelsea F.C. — Edwards was a lifelong fan of the team.