Naira Marley is a British-Nigerian singer, song writer, and businessman who has an estimated net worth of ₦255 million.
According to the self-proclaimed President of the Marlians, he made his first money in the United Kingdom even before venturing into music. However, he neglected to mention the means through which he made the huge sum of £250,000. When Azeez Fashola, as his real name says, eventually launched his music career, he opened legitimate avenues of earning money like shows, tours, record sales, endorsement deals, and businesses.
With his level of fame and fortune, Naira Marley has been living a luxury life in Lagos, Nigeria. His last known real estate acquisition is said to be his fifth house in Lagos alone. The singer and father of four also flaunts exotic cars on social media and the brands range from Porsche to Bentley. However, because of his kind of lifestyle, it has become difficult to know which house or car is his and which is not. Besides, when the EFCC raided his house in May 2019, they found him in a rented apartment, absurd for someone who has five houses in Lagos.
How Naira Marley Built a Net Worth Of ₦255 Million
According to reports, Naira Marley’s net worth was last estimated at ₦255 million which is equivalent to $700,000. Since his emergence to the limelight, the Soapy hitmaker has been earning hugely from his music but he has since widened his avenues of generating revenue. He currently earns from;
• Music
• Business
• Endorsements
• Awards
Music
The singer has recorded several hit singles one of which became the Super Eagles’ theme song in 2018. As his popularity grew, it elevates his status, increasing his fee for shows which was last pegged at N20 million. Apart from his show rate, the artist generates income from his record and album sales. Social media is also another viable means of boosting his income; his latest hit single OPOTOYI went on to garner over 3.3 million in YouTube views alone and when translated to money, it means a lot.
He Discovered his Music Talent by Chance
Even before he moved to Peckham, Naira Marley’s ambition was to end up as an MC, as well as work as a voice-over artist. One of his MC friends in Peckham even had Marley managing his rap. The discovery of the singer’s music talent came purely by chance. According to the father of four, he was in the studio with friends who were recording something, and when they saw a space, the Marlian was urged to jump on it. Naira Marley was initially unsure but later obliged them, surprising himself and his friends with his very first attempt at singing.
Talking with Guardian in 2014, the President of the Marlians revealed how he hit his first big bucks in England. Armed with the sum of £250,000, the Nigerian singer thought of investing in all the talented people around him and had no prior plans of hitting the studio himself. Thus, when he eventually followed them into the studio, he only made one song while his friends made so many.
By the time they exited the studio, they had a total of ten songs in all, but surprisingly, it was only Naira Marley’s song that caught public attention as requests for the track kept increasing. Urged by a friend, he later shot an unplanned video for the song and ended up with four million likes in three weeks. This was the genesis of his journey in the music industry, his initial success roped him in and the singer hasn’t been able to stop since then.
A Peek at Naira Marley’s Success Story as a Musician
Being a newcomer in the industry, the talented artist had the good sense to subject himself to rigorous training before he began to unleash his musical prowess in 2014. The song Marry Juana became his debut solo track before his first EP in 2015, but his December 2017 track Issa Goal saw his emergence to prominence. The number which featured the best of Nigerian musicians like Falz, Olamide Badoo, Slimcase, Simi, and Lil Kesh in its June 2016 remix became the Super Eagle’s theme song at the World Cup tournament of 2018. In the song, the Marlian fused the funky drum patterns of the UK with Party lyrics which resulted in a resounding success.
Naira Marley has dropped a couple of EPs –Gotta Dance in 2015 and Lord of Lamba with several singles of which many became hits. His sixth single Soapy – released in 2019 after he came out of prison was rather controversial, dividing the opinion of fans about its inherent meaning. Am I A Yahoo Boy was also another controversial number. Perhaps his greatest number to date is one of his latest hit OPOTOYI which he dropped while in EFCC net. The song went on to garner over 3.3 million in YouTube views upon its release on the 7th day of June 2019. The success of this particular track put the Marlian on par with the likes of Davido, the defunct PSQUARE, and Burna Boy.
Naira Marley’s EPs
• Gotta Dance in 2015
• Lord of Lamba in 2019
Some of His Hit Singles
• Kosi Werey (2016)
• “Issa Goal (2017)
• Japa (2018)
• Am I A Yahoo Boy (2019)
• Bad influence (2019)
• Opotoyi (Marlians) (2019)
• Why (2019)
• Soapy (2019)
• Pxta (2019)
• Back2work (2019)
• Mafo (2019)
• Tesumole (2019)
• Tingasa (2019)
• Aye (2020)
• Dido lobo (2020)
• Mofoti (2020)
• As E Dey Go (2020)
• Chi Chi (2020)
Endorsement Deals
Recently, the chief executive officer of Marlians Record label took to his Instagram page to share his good news with fans. He just inked a new endorsement deal with Patricia. To our understanding, the company deals in bitcoins and gift cards. Also, famous rapper YCee endorsed the artist, dubbing him the greatest Nigerian singer.
A while ago, his image was found adorning the label of a bakery product called Adeniyi special bread. The bread is produced by an Offa, Kwara state-based company, Adeniyi group of companies. Becoming the brand’s official face led to several questions as fans wanted to know if he is the owner of the bakery or perhaps his image is illegally used to boost sales.
While in care, the OPOTOYI hitmaker told EFCC about his Underwriting deals which include an arrangement with top pop beverage company Coca Cola for his track Issa Goal. He also talked about his involvement with Nike.
He Became a Businessman With the Launch of his Marlian Records
After getting established as a musician, Naira Marley ventured into business, floating his own record label called Marlian Records. He announced the launch of the label on the 30th of December 2019 during his Marlian Fest at Eko Hotels and Suites. Following the announcement, he unveiled his signees which include the likes of Zinoleesky, CBlvck, Fabian Blu, and MohBad. Another act, Emo Grae was unveiled on the 10th of July 2020 via his Instagram page. Also, Olamide’s former signee Lyla later came to join the record label.
The Artist Has Some Awards to Show for his Years in the Music Industry
Naira Marley’s contribution to the world of showbiz has received several rewards in the form of awards.
SoundCity MVP Awards in 2020
• Viewers’ Choice (won)
• Song of the Year (Nominated)
• Best Pop (Nominated)
City People Music Awards in 2019
• Male Artiste of the Year (Nominated)
• Street Song of the Year (Nominated)
What Does the Nigerian Singer Spend His Money on?
People who have attained celebrity status in Nigeria have a way of spending their money. They lavish huge amounts on real estate and and automobiles. The same can be said for Azeez Fashola who has continued to flaunt some expensive cars on social media platforms.
All of Naira Marley’s Luxurious Houses May Just Be a Mirage
Something is not adding up about Naira Marley and the number of houses he has purchased. According to reports, his Lekki house which he purchased in July 2020 takes the slot as his fifth house in Lagos which should mean that in the city alone, he has five houses.
However, when the officials of the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) raided his house on the 10th of May 2019, it was discovered to be a rented apartment. Thus the question begging for an answer is, why is the singer not living in one of those plush houses he was reported to have acquired in Lagos? Another funny discovery was that even the laptop he uses was allegedly borrowed; this brings his massive net worth to question.
Besides, all the sources keep talking about his new fancily designed house, referring it as his fifth, but no mention has been made of all the four that were acquired before the fifth one. Again, fans were not treated to a view of the interiors of the house, but from the lighted exterior, it is obvious that the Lekki house is steeped in luxury.
Naira Marley Has Been Posing With Expensive Cars on Social Media
We have seen several photos of Naira Marley posing with different exotic cars on social media platforms and going by the signature lifestyle of the present day celebrities, he is just being true to type. The crown jewel in his garage happens to be a 2014 Bentley Continental (2014 model) with a value that runs into millions of naira. The singer is also the proud owner of a Porsche Panamera that is worth over $91,950.
Judging the number of cars Naira Marley has might be a bit difficult as the singer keeps posing with one car after another, both in photos and videos. The hitmaker’s lifestyle has made it impossible for us to decipher which cars actually belongs to him and which are mere publicity stunts.
Naira Marley Has Been Involved in a Lot of Controversies
Since his emergence into the limelight, the rapper’s kind of music and lifestyle has attracted quite a good number of controversies – from EFCC issues to flaunting orders from the authorities.
EFCC Issues
Naira Marley and his cronies Zlatan, Adewunmi Moses, Tiamiu Kayode, and Abubakar Musa were apprehended by the EFCC on the 10th of May 2019 following the release of the music video for his song Am I A Yahoo Boy which was deemed as controversial. You could say that the arrest did something good for the artist’s career, all of a sudden, he gained another level of popularity as more and more people wanted to know the man behind the song. After five days, his friends were freed but the Marlian was held back by the authorities, thanks to evidence against him which got quite overwhelming. On the 16th of May, EFCC arraigned him before the Ikoyi Federal High Court with 11 counts of fraud-related charges.
While still in custody, his single 4 Nights in Ekohtiebo hit the music stand and was centered on the singer’s industry friends, enemies, as well as admirers. The Marlian pleaded not guilty as the case proceeded, securing a bail hearing scheduled for the 30th of May 2019. It would appear that prison confinement had no effect on the singer whatsoever as he kept on releasing singles. Even on the set date for his bail hearing, the father of four dropped the track Why which showed his handcuffed image. He was later granted ₦2 million bail and set free on the 14th of June 2019. Upon his exit from prison, the Nigerian artist released Soapy, a song centered on the sexual behaviors of prison inmates. The case was last heard of when it was adjourned to the 27th of February 2020.
His Controversial Instagram Video in Support of Yahoo Boys
From what is obvious, the Marlian Records CEO will never stop being enmeshed in controversy. When the authorities sought to end the endorsement deals of celebrities who support yahoo boys, the Marlian president came all out to solicit support for practitioners of the fraudulent deal. According to him, Nigerians need to seriously pray for those 419 boys and not berate them as they are the ones that makes the nation’s wealth go round rather than concentrate in the hands of the politicians.
Naira Marley actually made an Instagram video to support his crusade. He buttressed his point by saying that more and more Nigerians today have money to take care of their needs, thanks to the activities of the yahoo boys which keep circulating the money.
Flouting Orders During the Lockdown
After the Nigerian presidency imposed a lockdown on Lagos State in a bid to contain the novel Coronavirus, Naira Marley went all out to contravene the lockdown orders which led to arrest and detention by the Nigerian Police. Again, the Marlian didn’t pay any heed to the social distancing rules and interstate travel ban, he did a performance at an Abuja concert on the 13th of June 2020. The artist’s action got the attention of the FCT Administration which went ahead to arraign him before a mobile court.
Naira Marley Leveraged his Name to Create the Marlian Movement
As Naira Marley gained prominence, he became known as a Marlian and inked the moniker in display of solidarity and respect to his followers who are also known as Marlians. As time rolled by, his followers began to increase as the name gathered momentum; this was what gave birth to the Marlian Movement. Today, we see Marlians all over the place, many of them trying to emulate the lifestyle of the singer. As the founder of the movement, Azeez Fashola became the group’s self-proclaimed president, and they in turn recognize his authority with regards to the movement.
The Marlian Movement has since spread wide and far, we have seen quite a lot of them in other African countries and beyond. Some really fanatic ones have gone as far as tattooing the moniker Marlian on their person.