- Name: Azeez Fashola
- Stage name: Naira Marley
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Born: May – 9 – 1994
- Age: 26
- Source of wealth: Music
Naira Marley is currently one of the most popular and loved Nigerian musical artistes
He has a group of large die hard fans widely called Marlians and is stereotyped to be a collection of people who stray from the norm and do not put on belts.
Naira Marley is best described as a songwriter, singer, stage performer, entertainer, and indigenous rapper.
He has been in music for quite a while before he achieved fame in 2017. Naira Marley entered into the spotlight of Nigerian music with the hit single Issa Goal which featured already established stars like Olamide Badoo, Falz, Simi, Slimcase, and Lil Kesh in the remix of the song.
Naira Marley was born on the 9th of May, 1994, in the Agege area of Lagos State, Nigeria. He relocated to Peckham in South London in 2005, at the age of 11, where he lived till he recently returned to his homeland.
Though not a reggae artist, the singer says that his stage name was influenced by his admiration for the legendary King of reggae music, Bob Marley.
Naira Marley also wears dreadlocks, which are often mistaken for twists as a result of his styling choice, but he says his locs are a tribute to the reggae god.
Naira Marley has mentioned in several interviews that he never dreamt of being a music artist, saying he preferred a career as a voice-over artist as a growing child.
It wasn’t until 2014 that Naira Marley started to hone his musical skills. The singer discovered his love for music and groomed the talent when he was encouraged by a few of his friends to sing during one of their studio sessions.
Naira Marley kept on seeking new ways to better his musical talent, and it paid off when he released the track Marry Juana in 2005 featuring Max Twigz. The song, which was a success, was a fusion of dancehall rhythms and, of course, the singer’s Nigerian accent. It received a considerable welcome.
The song was what gave Naira Marley a growing Nigerian following in the UK music industry, and also caught the attention of Olamide and that of a few other Nigerian singers and listeners.
Though it was his first song, it also made him one of the most noticed upcoming Nigerian rapper in the UK.
Controversy
Naira Marley found himself in a controversy last year when he was arrested by the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) on May 10, 2019, less than 24 hours after his 25th birthday, for internet fraud.
The performer was arrested alongside fellow singers Rahman Jago, Zlatan Ibile, and two others. It was alleged that singer Davido was a considerable influence in the release of Zlatan Ibile, but all others were also released, excluding Naira Marley.
However, Naira Marley was remanded in prison custody and was charged to court afterward because of the severity of his allegations leveled against him (an 11 count fraud allegation).
The Yoruba singer was later released from police custody on the 14 of June 2019 after he was granted bail to the sum of ₦2 million by a Federal High Court in Lagos state after he had to present two sureties, one being a civil servant not lower than Grade Level 10, while the other person was an owner of a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.
Naira Marley’s net worth
Naira Marley is currently worth about $700,000 in USD, which, following the present Dollar to Naira exchange rate, stands at ₦252 million.
It has been widely reported that Naira Marley owns several exotic cars as a result of his wealthy social media lifestyle, one of the recent addition to his fleet being a 2019 Bentley Continental.
Personal Life
Though Naira Marley is young, the singer who was born into an Islamic family is now married to two wives and is father to four children.
Naira Marley car theft acquittal
On the 14th of January, 2020, Naira Marley, while he was on vacation in the United States, was finally acquitted of car theft, which was a charge filed by the police.
It was alleged that the singer and two of his brothers, Babatunde Fashola and Idris Fashola, along with Kunle Obere, who is a cousin of theirs, connived to steal the vehicle belonging to one Mr. Adelekan Ademola before the involvement of the police.
The Magistrate Court, which was presided over by Mr. Tajudeen Elias, dismissed all charges after getting a settlement agreement between Naira Marley, the other defendants, and the complainant.
Awards and nominations
- 2020 – Soundcity MVP Awards Viewers’ Choice for “Soapy” ( Won)
- 2020 – Song of the Year “Soapy (Nominated)
- 2020 – Best Pop (Nominated)
- 2019 – City People Music Awards – Artiste of the Year, Male Category ( Nominated)
- 2019 – City People Music Awards – Street Song of the Year for “Soapy” (Nominated).
Albums
His debuted album LOL (Lord of Lamba), was released in late 2019 and is a collection of 6-tracks with guest appearances from Mayorkun, Young John, and C Blvck. The singer also has an Extended Play which he called Gotta Dance which is a collection of seven tracks
Hit songs by Naira Marley
Some of the hit songs by Naira Marley include the following:
- Am I a Yahoo boy
- Soapy
- Naija Issagoal (Remix) ft Olamide, Lil Kesh, Falz, Slimcase, and Simi
- Issa Goal featuring Olamide and Lil Kesh
- Japa
- Marry Juana
- Drummer Boy
- Ko Si Werey
- Rice & Beans
- Dread Gang
- Magic
- Facetime
- Birthday
- Praise and Worship
- Stupid Dance
- Back2Work
- +44
- Flying Away
- Ermm
- Like Chief Keef
- Outty
- Squadron
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