Azeez Adeshina Fashola (born 10 May 1991), popularly known as Naira Marley, is a Nigerian musician and a key figure in the Street Pop genre in Nigeria. The Lagos-born creative better known as Naira Marley is a prominent Afrobeats rapper, singer and songwriter.

Naira Marley has carved out a name for himself in Nigeria’s indigenous (Yoruba) rap music scene and is considered one of the country’s pioneers of indigenous trap music.

He rose to stardom after releasing his single, Issa Goal, starring Olamide and Lil Kesh in 2017, and has released two hit music projects, Gotta Dance (2015) and Lord Of Lamba (2019).

He is the mastermind behind blockbuster songs like Am I A Yahoo Boy, Soapy, Japa, Tesumole and Mafo. Naira Marley is a music executive, the creator of Marlian Records and well known as the President Of Marlian Nation.

If you are a Marlian, then you would be interested to know about Naira Marley’s total assets, memoir, cars and lifestyle. Naira Marley is a Nigerian Musician and songwriter born in Nigeria but also spent most of his formative years in the United Kingdom. His name is Azeez Fashola. The 25-year-old is a versatile artist whose hip hop melodic approach is merged with the track.

Naira Marley rose to limelight with the release of Is A Goal – a popular tune he featured Olamide and Lil Kesh. It was the official song to aid Nigeria’s Super Eagles at the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. The artist, who was popular with a stage name which was boosted by the reggae great Bob Marley, became more and more popular when he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of Internet Fraud.

Early Life

Naira Marley was born into a Muslim home of Mr and Mrs Fashola on 10th May 1991. His parents named him Azeez Adeshina. His name, Azeez, meaning Dear or Beloved.

He has a sister Shubomi Fashola and a brother Shuddy funds.

He was raised in Agege, a suburb of Lagos State, with his siblings. He is his parents’ first kid. Naira Marley was born into a Muslim family and began memorizing the Qu’ran at an early age. By the time he was a teenager, the singer had completed the reading of the holy book and could recite sections in the book offhand.

Naira Marley spent part of his growing up years outside the nation. He moved to the United Kingdom at the age of eleven where he continued his education. He lived in Peckham, South London, England.

He would live in the nation during his teen years and early twenties before returning to Nigeria to pursue his music career.

Naira Marley was influenced by the music of the top Afrobeats artists of that era while growing up, but he didn’t begin his music career until his 20s. Originally, he wanted to be an MC and a voice-over artist.

However, after finding out his love for music and obtaining some encouraging comments from his closest friends, he chose to pursue a career in the industry. So he started making songs in 2014.

Azeez Fashola was born on 9th of May, 1994 in Agege, Lagos State. When he timed 11, he relocated to Peckham, South London, UK. He returned back to Nigeria after several years in the European country. His stage name “Naira Marley” is a nod to the respect and admiration he has for reggae great Bob Marley; the Nigerian artist’s dreadlocks pay tribute to the famous reggae singer.

In a part of his earlier contacts with news sources, he found that he never had the arrangement to be an artist as he wanted to be a voice-over artist during his teens.

Education

Naira Marley had his creche and basic school education in a prestigious private elementary school in Agege.

He went to Peckham Academy and graduated with a distinction in Business.

He also studied Business Law at Christ the King Sixth Form College (known as Crossways College).

Naira Marley’s Music Career

The year after Naira Marley decided to do music, he launched his first EP Gotta Dance in 2015. Before then he’d released his breakthrough track Marry Juana with Max Twigz.

Naira Marley was having the success he was hoping of till 2017. This happened following the release of Issa Goal with Olamide and Lil Kesh. Issa Goal, released in December 2017, became the street pop song of choice in the country, getting tremendous rotation on radio stations and the speakers of clubs around the country. For example, Issa Goal was the Super Eagles’ theme song for the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

2019 was a big year for Naira Marley as he had greater success in the profession. On 3rd Of May 2019, the singer released Am I A Yahoo Boy? with fellow rapper Zlatan Ibile. The single went viral both on the internet and on the streets where Naira Marley had already built a huge fanbase.

He followed up the success of the single with another banger, titled Soapy, on 27th Of June 2019. Soapy was a smash, with millions of listens just days after release, and opened the door for future music jobs for the rapper.

The singer rode a wave of hits in 2019 with tunes like Opotoyi, Why, Back2Work, Bad Influence which assured that he was always in the faces and ears of music-loving Nigerians.

Four years after dropping his first project, Naira Marley has released his much awaited sophomore EP named Lord Of Lamba (LOL) on the 18th Of December 2019. Killertunes, Studio Magic and Rexxie produced the EP while the guest artistes that provided their voices to the EP were Mayorkun, CBlvck and Young John.

The EP is a 6 track project featuring hits like Mafo, Tesumole, Isheyen, Yanyanyan.

Naira Marley who established his mark in the industry in the previous year delivered his fans back-to-back hits in 2020 with songs such as Aye, Dido Lobo, Mofoti, Anywhere, As E Dey Go, Chichi, Koleyewon and Idi Oremi (Opotoyi 2).

The music sensation held his first huge event in Nigeria named Marlian Fest on the 30th Of December 2019. The performance was held at the famous Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos. At the ceremony, Naira Marley announced to his thrilled followers that he was launching his own record label.

He also announced the signing of four artists under his imprint. Signed acts include Fabian Blu, CBlvck, Mohbad and Zinoleesky.

Then there was the signing of Emo Grae to the Marlian Records family in July 2020, Lyta and Tori Keeche.

Naira Marley has been one of the leading figures in the pop culture sphere in Nigeria. He is the president of Marlian Nation aka No Manaz, which he calls himself. His admirers are called Marlians and his fanbase is known as Marlians Nation.

He started to strengthen his melodic skills in 2014. Young Azeez discovered his zeal for singing and developed his melodic talent with the help of some of his friends who pushed him to sing in one of their chronicle sessions in the studio.

In spite of the fact that the entire event began as a joke; nonetheless, following that day, Naira Marley began having genuine excitement for music.

He used to help out some of his friends with studio time, but after trying out a song in the studio and having a rap session with them, he started paying for his own time and honing his melodic skills.

Naira Marley was always seeking for better ways to improve his musical skill. His safety was taken care of from the beginning of his career as an entertainer. In 2015 he released the Marry Juana track with Max Twigz who is one of the Cannabis Boyz.

This song inserted Naira Marley’s robust Nigerian enunciation into the dancehall beats and it was quite effective. It gave him a calm Nigerian following in the UK music industry since it was released in the United Kingdom. It also let him to replace one of the quick emerging rappers of Nigerian music in the country.

Marry Juana’s release, a mixture of grime, rap, tune and dancehall referred to the defining moment of Naira Marley’s music profession, exactly like his rise to the limelight in the music world. This is due to the fact that after the track, a lot of others were released that also enjoyed monster triumphs in Nigeria.

A lot of music lovers in Nigeria, nicknamed Marlians, are fond of Naira Marley. The rapper turned musician was chased with discourse following his capture by EFCC on May 10, 2019, over charges bordering on internet fraud. The incident happened one day after he celebrated his 25th birthday.

Azeez Fashola was spotted with solo acts Zlatan Ibile, Rahman Jago and two others. The other four were released save Naira Marley and Davido was said to have played a huge role in Zlatan Ibile’s released.

The seriousness of his alleged misbehavior bordering on an eleven-check extortion accusation prompted the court to hold Naira Marley in jail care and eventually charge him to court. The controversial rapper was eventually released on June 14, 2019, after a Federal High Court in Lagos granted him a bond of ₦2M.

His bail terms further stipulate two sureties, one of whom should be a government employee of Grade Level (GL) 10 and higher, and the other a person who holds a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. According to media reports, Naira Marley was arrested following the release of the sizzling song, Am I A Yahoo Boy.

Awards and Nominations

Naira Marley received the coveted Viewers Choice Awards at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards for his collaboration with Soapy.

Soapy also grabbed singing nominations in the Song Of The Year and Best Pop Song categories at the Soundcity MVP Awards.

He was also nominated for the Best Male Artiste category in the 2019 City People Music Awards.

Naira Marley Personal Life

The stage name, Naira Marley, was taken from Reggae artist Bob Marley, one of his idols in the music sector and Naira, the currency of his own nation – Nigeria.

The singer has thrilled millions of Afrobeats fans with his brand of music, a combination of English, Yoruba and Pidgin English to produce a unique indigenous trap sound.

He is the Founder and CEO of Marlian Music, a company that has birthed rising musicians including Zinoleesky, Mohbad, Emo Grae, CBlvck, Tori Keeche and Fabian Blu.

He has two younger siblings. One brother was Shuddy Funds and a sister, Shubomi Fashola.

Even though the rapper has yet to get married, he has four children with separate girlfriends. His first set of offspring are twin girls: Aishat Fashola and Simiat Fashola. They are located in the United Kingdom. The girls were born in April 2015 Naira Marley has kept their relationship low-key, thus the identity of their mother is not known.

His first son and second child is named Farouq Fashola and is known as JoJo Marley. Born 30th Of October 2015. Farouq Fashola has a younger brother Fawaz Fashola. He was born in the 7th Of April 2018. The guys had the same mother.

The rapper who lives a lavish life in Victoria Island, Lagos State has been involved in a lot of issues.

Naira Marley was apprehended on May 10, 2019, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was held in EFCC detention for six days before he was arraigned on 11 counts of fraud at the Federal High Court, Lagos. On the 30 th Of May 2019, the court granted him bail to the tune of two million Naira and released him two weeks following on the 14 th Of June 2019.

He had a run-in with authorities in 2020 after flouting the president’s restriction on interstate travel in an effort to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. He had come to Abuja to play in a concert. He was arraigned before an FCT mobile court and fined a sum of money.

Naira Marley’s Net Worth

Marlian Nation Naira Marley has had his impact on his career and the careers of singers signed under his label.

Presently, Naira Marley’s net worth is estimated to be between US$5 million and US$10 million.

The controversial musician could tell that from the offers for his music, as well as the continuing stream of show bookings.

He’s one of the quickest rising gifts right now sector, despite the fact that he doesn’t include the top spot in the positioning of Nigeria’s most lavish artists.

Naira Marley Lifestyle

Marley said he is married to two women and has four children, who are mostly British citizens. This he stated in his announcement on the pledge he made to the EFCC when he was in custody.

Upon his arrest, the aspiring vocalist insisted that he’s not a crook:

I am Azeez Fashola. I have four children and am married to two spouses . “They’re all British residents who are still in the UK,” said the 28-year-old artist. My thought was the United Kingdom, I started to learn at Porlock Hall at that time, I moved to Walworth School where I received my GCSE.

My GCSE results are English (C), Maths (B), Science (C). I then went on to study at Peckham Academy and achieved distinction in Business leaving Walworth School with my qualification.

“I went further to learn at Crossways College where I completed my Business Law at that point but I had children around then so I took a break and started making music till date.

The committee that found some proof of Internet extortion on his PC indicted him. But Marley said he had no idea what the substance on the PC was, saying a mate gave it to him to shift YouTube recordings:

“I only started making music in 2014 but I am now signed to Marathon, a record label based in the United Kingdom. I have a deal with Coca-Cola for my melody, Issa Goal, which features Olamide and Lil Kesh.”

“I also had to manage Nike to participate in the Nigerian sportswear. “I have a MacBook workstation which I got from a friend called Yad Isril in England, because as I was coming back to Nigeria, I realized I was going to need a PC to transfer my music recordings on YouTube and also to keep my elite melodies.

“I control the PC but I have no idea what’s on there other than my music recordings. “The butcher’s,” he says. “And a hardware shop in England. He is a British resident though his family is from Iraq. “ I don’t have a dedicated workstation right now because I don’t need to.

“My supervisory group does all the stuff I have to do on the PC. “I just use my iPhone X for everything I do,” he continued.