Make no mistake, Naira Marley is not in any way related to the legendary Bob Marley. However, he has enjoyed a huge leap in popularity, particularly since 2019 after he was apprehended by the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) for cybercrime.

Gradually building a huge base of followers known as ‘Marlians‘, Naira Marley is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s most controversial celebrities. His songs have been branded as adult-only as he continually uses obscene languages in almost all of his songs. His social media engagements have showed far worse as he has been called out by various celebrities for posting x-rated videos and pictures. Interestingly, Azeez Fashola, famously known as Naira Marley remains unbothered and lives his life as he please and continually churns out songs to his loyal fans.

In this post, we talked about the biography of Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, and his net worth.

Azeez Fashola (Naira Marley) Biography

Azeez Fashola (born May 10, 1991), more commonly known by his stage name, Naira Marley, is a popular Nigerian musician, songwriter and recording artist. Naira Marley was born in Agege, Lagos and became more popular after his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Marley studied Business Law at Crossways College in the United Kingdom and is regarded as one of the most controversial celebrities in Nigeria.

Early Life

Azeez, fondly called Naira Marley was born in 1991, in Agege, a suburb of Lagos and later moved to Peckham, South London at aged 11. He started his education at Porlock Hall, then proceeded to Walworth School where he got his GCSE. He further proceeded to Walworth School with his qualification and went further to study at Peckham Academy, where he got a distinction in Business and finally at Crossways College where he studied Business Law.

According to him, as a youthful fellow, he never wanted to turn into an artisan, however, he had the aspiration of becoming an MC and a Voice Over artiste. He would later move from Peckham back to Lagos, with his Nigerian accent intact.

Career

At the start of his career, Naira Marley decided to help his friends in Peckham, south London, who also wanted to be MCs. In a bid to manage their rap careers, he discovered he could sing. With this, he started his journey into music.

It is safe to say Naira Marley discovered his singing ability by chance. In 2014, his singing ability came to light when he was urged by his friends to sing during one of their studio sessions. It was only a joke initially but Marley never disappointed.

After this, the friends he used to pay for their studio sessions advised he took out some time to use some recording session himself. His friends eventually succeeded in convincing him and he went on to record and release his first song ‘Wed Juana’ ft Max Twigz. The song would go on to become a UK road jam.

In the wake of seeing his ability and prospect in his music vocation, he at that point chose ultimately to seek after his music profession, and this time there is no returning. He proceeded to release one of the vibey songs of the year titled ‘ISSA GOAL.’

‘Issa Goal‘ featured Olamide and Lil Kesh in the song where he fused the UK funky drum patterns with party lyrics. The song would go on to be his first hit ever and the unofficial theme song of the Super Eagles of Nigeria for the World Cup.

After that, the musician churned out several songs while some of them have become a major hit to be played at night clubs and shows. From there on out, Naira Marley released back-to-back hit songs, including the controversial ‘Am I a Yahoo Boy’, the song which eventually landed him in the nets of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s anti-graft agency that has been waging war against cybercrimes and cybercriminals.

How Naira Marley Got His Name

Naira Marley said he chose the name because he was a huge fan and admirer of legendary Raggae musician, Bob Marley, which was the major factor about how his stage name came into existence. Another factor, according to him, is the close physical similarities he shares with the late Raggae legend.

Naira Marley Family, Wife & Children

Naira Marley is married to two wives and has four children and two of his kids are twin daughters. According to him, his wives and kids are British citizens.

Controversies

Arrest

Despite spending only a few years in the limelight, Naira Marley has courted several controversies. His major was after the release of the controversial song, ‘Am I a Yahoo Boy‘ which landed him in trouble with the EFCC. It is no secret that the singer is an advocate of cybercrime and fraud.

Azeez Fashola ‘Naira Marley’ was arrested by the EFCC on the 10th of May 2019, coincidentally on his birthday, in relation to internet fraud.

Soapy

Besides his clash with the antigraft agency, most of his songs have defied morals which have made other Nigerian celebrities calling him out and addressing the danger his songs pose to the society. Among these songs is ‘Soapy’ a viral song which he recorded after his bail from incarceration. The song which subtly narrated his ordeal in prison revealed how inmates ‘danced soapy’, a subtle word for masturbation. With a dance move depicting a masturbating act, the song was seen as distasteful and disgusting. It received negative criticisms but never stopped his teeming followers from doing the ‘soapy dance’ (masturbation dance) to the song.

Marlian Movement

Having mastered the art of trending and controversy, Naira Marley has been trending for being the president of a movement called the Marlian movement; ardent followers of Naira Marley who believe in his philosophies and ideologies, including not graduating from school (undergraduates among his group). Read more about Marlians here.

Naira Marley Net Worth

Azeez Fashola, popularly referred to as Naira Marley has an estimated net worth of $41,3793 (N150 million).