Naira Marley is a favourite among many Nigerian music lovers, especially the youth. Asides from that, his songs gather a lot of airplay from the media. Little wonder why Azzez Fashola (Naira Marley) has lots of fans on his social media pages; his Instagram page has more than 3 million followers.
Many people know Naira Marley as a celebrity but most people do not know some facts about him. The Am I A Yahoo Boy crooner is regarded as one of the most controversial Nigerian musicians of all time for certain reasons.
We have compiled a list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about the Nigerian music star, Naira Marley.
1. Naira Marley was born in Nigeria, precisely in Agege area of Lagos state where he grew up and migrated to the UK at the age of 11.
2. His real name is Azzez Adeshina Fashola and he uses ‘Naira Marley’ as his stage name. Stage name refers to the name which he bears as an entertainer. The name ‘Naira Marley’ was coined by the iconic reggae music star, Bob Marley.
3. Naira Marley idolizes Bob Marley and looks up to him as a source of inspiration. Both individuals share certain traits such as dreadlocks, love for smoking weed etc.
4. He is not a school dropout as most people believe but is actually a graduate. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business from Peckham Academy, United Kingdom.
5. Originally, Naira Marley kicked off his career as an MC and back-up/voice-over MC. He never had dreams to become a musician.
He had a group of music friends who made music and occasionally, he escorts them to the recording studio and pay the bills for song production. In one of their studio sessions, he was pressured to jump in a song, he freestyled and his delivery was dope. It was at this point, that he gave making music a second thought.
6. “Marry Juana” is the first recorded single he made while in the United Kingdom (UK). The song was made along with his friend, Max Twigz, a member of the Cannabis Boys. The song was a street favourite shortly after its release in 2014.
7. Naira Marley became a household name in the Nigerian music industry after the release of a song titled “Issa Goal”. This song featured Olamide and Lil Kesh in it and it became an anthem for cheering the Super Eagles of Nigeria who were competing with other countries in the FIFA 2018 World Cup which was held in Russia.
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8. The buzz generated by Issa Goal caught the attention of the beverage drink company, Coca-Cola, who bought the song and sponsored a remix that featured the likes of Lil Kesh, Olamide, Simi, Falz, and Slimcase.
9. Naira Marley has 2 wives and he fathers 4 children who are all in the United Kingdom. Also, his children are British citizens. He has a set of twin daughters, Aishat and Simiat, and a son whose name is Jojo.
10. Naira Marley was born in an Islamic home, which makes him a Muslim by birth. His first name ‘Azzez’ is an Arabic name which means strong. The name is one of the 99 names of God listed in the Qu’ran.
11. Naira Marley is very vocal about his support for Internet crime. He has supported internet fraudsters and he believes that internet scam, popularly known as ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ is not a crime. A lot of musicians including Ruggedman and Simi confronted him over his support for yahoo-yahoo. He blasts anyone who condemns ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’, he went as far as making a live Instagram video where he said that internet fraud is not a crime.
12. Naira Marley, Rahman Jago, Zlatan Ibile, and two others were arrested by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, EFCC. Coincidentally, he was arrested on his birthday and charged to court after his release of ‘Am I A Yahoo Boy’. Before his arrival in Nigeria, he claimed to have been arrested over 124 times while living in England.
13. Naira Marley has never hidden his love for weed. He loves smoking and recently, he admitted that he can’t quit his smoking habit because smoking is harmless to him and makes him happy.
14. Naira Marley won his first major award as a music artiste in 2020. His hit song, “Soapy” won him the ‘Viewers’ Choice’ award in the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards. He beat Chinko Ekun, Zlatan, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Shatta Wale, Prince Kaybee, and Rayvanny to clinch this award.
15. Naira Marley is the founder and CEO of Marlian Music. Currently, he has Cblvck, Zinoleesky, MohBad, and Fabian Blu on the rooster of his label.
