For Marlians and fans of Nigerian music generally, here are the 10 things you need to know about Naira Marley.
Naira Marley is a 25-year-old Nigerian musician and songwriter, who was born in this country but had part of his childhood in Nigeria and also in the UK. The hip hop artist rose to limelight with the release of Is A Goal. This is a hit single, where Marley featured big names in the music industry like Olamide and Lil Kesh.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Rusia, Is A Goal was the official song that fans used to support the national team — the Super Eagles. Further, the musician’s fame skyrocketed on the heels of his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on cyber fraud allegations.
What is Naira Marley’s real name? How did he come about his stage name? How much is his net worth? When is the national Marlians day? In this post on the 10 things you need to know about Naira Marley, you will get answers to these questions and more.
Naira Marley’s Net Worth: $50,000 – $60,000
The net worth of the Am I Yahoo Boy crooner is estimated to be around $50,000 – $60,000 (₦18M – ₦21.6M). The sources of his income are revenues from the sales of his music, in addition to the proceeds from his show bookings.
Though Marley is not among the richest musicians in this country, he’s one of the fastest rising artists in the Nigerian music industry.
Naira Marley’s Real Name
His real name is Azeez Fashola. The Nigerian singer got popular for his support for Internet fraudsters and the release of hit track Issa Goal. Marley did not initially plan to be a musician as his original ambition was to help manage the rap career of his friends that he met while in Peckham, UK.
How Did He Coin His Stage Name?
Naira Marley got the inspiration for his stage name from reggae legend Bob Marley, and the Nigerian artist’s dreadlocks are a tribute to the iconic reggae artist, who died at the age of 36 on May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida.
What Is Naira Marley’s Age?
The singer was born May 9, 1994, in Agege, Lagos State, which means he is 25 years old. Growing up, when he became 11, Mr. Azeez relocated to Peckham in South London, UK. After spending several years in this country, he came back to Nigeria.
How Did His Music Career Start?
In some past interviews that the singer had with media houses, he stated that he never had the plan to become a musician, adding as a boy, he wanted to be a voice-over artist.
Azeez Fashola started developing his musical skills in 2014, and when he discovered his passion for singing, he honed his musical talent further, with support from a number of his friends. They were the ones that encouraged him to sing during one of their recording sessions in the studio. That was the genesis of his career as a musician.
Marley dropped Marry Juana, in 2015, which featured Max Twigz, one half of the Cannabis Boyz group. The song, which infused his strong Nigerian accent with dancehall rhythms, was relatively successful. With the release of the hit track, Is a Goal
Today, he’s among the most popular and fastest-rising musical talents in Nigeria.
Who Are Marlians?
Naira Marley’s lovers and fans in Nigeria are called Marlians. These are the people that defended the artist online and offline during his struggles with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission earlier in 2019.
When Is National Marlians Day?
May 30th of every year has now been formally declared as Marlians day by the controversial group. This is how it all began: Famous DJ Cuppy shared a post on her Twitter account that there was the need to designate a national Marlian day.
Then, the gang leader, Naira Marley, proposed every May 30th as the day dedicated as a national Marlian day. Wizkid reacted swiftly to the development and confirmed it as approved by their government.
Is Naira Marley a Yahoo Boy?
The singer courted with controversy in the wake of his arrest by the EFCC earlier on May 10, 2019. The arrest, which bordered on Internet fraud charges, occurred a day after his 25th birthday.
His arrest involved fellow artists Zlatan Ibile, Rahman Jago, in addition to two other people. But the other four persons got released except Naira Marley. According to reports, DMW Boss Davido played a key role in securing Zlatan Ibile’s release.
Naira Marley was remanded in prison custody. Then, he was later charged to court owing to the so-called gravity of his alleged crime, bordering upon an 11-count fraud allegation. He was later released on June 14, 2019, when he was granted bail to the tune of ₦2 million by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Apart from this, Marley’s bail requirements included two sureties. While one of these sureties must be a civil servant above Grade Level 10, the other one has to be an individual, which owns a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. Naira Marley’s release of Am I A Yahoo Boy, which is a sensational hit, resulted in his arrest.
Is Naira Marley Educated?
Marley had his elementary education at Porlock Hall. Then, he later attended Walworth School, where he obtained his GCSE credential. He also moved ahead to Peckham Academy, where he earned distinction credit in Business.
Furthermore, Mr. Azeez attended Crossway College and studied Business Law there. He was forced to stop his education as a result of family demands since he’d to take care of his children. He then alternatively decided to become a family man and face music as a business.
Some Naira Marley’s Songs
Here are some of the songs Marley has released:
- Is a Goal
- Am I a Yahoo Boy
- Soapy
- Drummer Boy
- Issa Goal Feat. Olamide & Lil Kesh
- Magic
- Dread Gang
- Illuminati ft. Zlatan Ibile
- Facetime
- Hang wit Me
- Birthday
- Money on the Road
- +44
- Praise and Worship
- Back2work
- Flying Away
- Ermm
- Like Chief Keef
- Outty
- Japa
- Tesumole
- Rice & Beans
