Naira Marley is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, producer, recording artist and stage performer born 10 May 1991, and is currently 33 Years Old. He is popular for rapping in English, Pidgin, and his native Yoruba dialect.
While many are aware that Naira Marley left the United Kingdom for Nigeria to pursue his musical career, a significant number of people do not know that the singer, songwriter, and producer was not born in the UK. He was actually born in Nigeria, lived in Lagos for the first eleven years of his life before relocating to the UK to further his education. It was while he was in the European country that he found his passion for music and came back to penetrate the music industry with his Afrobeat, hip hop style of music.
The President of Marlians, his controversial fan base, is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated artists in Nigeria as well as across the continent. But despite his popularity, very little is known about his family and upbringing, until now.
Summary Of Naira Marley’s Biography
- Full name: Azeez Adeshina Fashola
- Nickname: Naira Marley
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 10 May 1991
- Place Of Birth: Agege, Lagos State, Nigeria
- Current residence: Lagos State, Nigeria
- Naira Marley’s Age: 33 Years Old
- Ethnicity: African
- Nationality: British-Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Taurus
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Islam
- Marital Status: Married
- Naira Marley’s Children: 4
- Siblings: 3
- Education: Porlock Hall, Peckham Academy, Crossways College
- Occupation: Singer, Songwriter, Producer
- Years Active: 2014 till date
- Famous for: Rapping in English, Pidgin, and his native Yoruba dialect
- Naira Marley’s Instagram: @nairamarleyÂ
- Facebook: @nairamarleymusicÂ
Naira Marley was Born in Agege, Lagos State
When news first got out that Naira Marley schooled in the U.K and had lived there for most of his life, many came to the conclusion that he must have also been born there. This wide belief has since been proven to be wrong as he was born in Agege, a suburb in Lagos State Nigeria.
There has further been conflicting information about the singer’s year of birth. Some sources claim he was born in 1994 but the singer cleared the air in 2019 during his arrest when he clearly stated that he was born on the 10th of May, 1991.
He Moved To The United Kingdom At Age 11
While there is no information about what life was like for the singer while he was growing up, it is public knowledge that he relocated to Peckham, South London at age 11 and was enrolled at Porlock Hall before moving over to Walworth School where he obtained his GCSE. He went on to further his studies at Peckham Academy where he graduated with a distinction in Business. Marley also studied Business Law at Crossways College.
Marley’s Dream Was To Become An M.C /Voice Over Artist
When Naira Marley was considering a line of career while growing up, being a singer was not on his list. He wanted to instead become an MC and a voice-over artist but would later switch to singing after his friends encouraged him to give music a try.
Speaking in an interview with The Truth, Naira Marley told OAP Olisa Adibua that he didn’t mean to go into the studio to sing because he had talented people around him who were doing music. He only wanted to invest in them but ended up recording a song that everybody liked. At the end of the day, a video was made which went on to garner about 4 million views in less than a month. He has since then never looked back.
Naira went on to officially launch his music career in 2014 with his debut track “Marry Juana” which was followed by an EP the next year titled Gotta Dance. Two years later in December 2017, the singer was able to achieve mainstream status with the track “Issa Goal” which became the theme song for the Super Eagles at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A remix of the song featuring the likes of Falz, Olamide, Slimcase, Simi, and Lil Kesh was released in June 2018.
Today, Naira Marley is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s most celebrated singers with several awards to his name, including the Viewers’ Choice Award at the 2020 SoundCity MVP Awards.
What We Know About Naira Marley’s Parents
Aside from knowing that Naira Marley and his siblings have the last name Fashola, there is no other available information about who the singer’s parents are, where they reside, and what they do/did for a living.
The only piece of information available is a photo of his mother which came to light in 2019 during Marley’s aforementioned arrest by EFCC. Mrs. Fashola was always beside her son whenever he appeared in court. She notably broke down in tears after her son was remanded in prison in May 2019. Marley’s father wasn’t around for the court sittings nor was his photo or identity ever revealed.
Meet Naira Marley’s Siblings
Although some sources suggest that Naira Marley comes from a large family and has many siblings, there is no confirmed evidence to back up these claims. There is also no information about the number of children the singer’s parents have together or if his father is married to just his mother or has many other wives since he is a Muslim.
Regardless, we have been able to comb through his social media to find two people who are definitely his siblings.
Idris Adewale Fashola (Shuddyfunds)
When news got out that Naira has a brother named Fashola, many thought it was the former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Marley, however, cleared the air stating that his brother’s name is Idris Adewale Fashola and not the former governor as many thought.
Idris, who is popularly known as Shuddyfunds, is said to have attended Robbinsdale Cooper high school before bagging a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Olabisi Onabanjo University in 2018. There is no information about what he has been up to since he graduated from the university but he has been seen in the company of his brother from time to time. Marley reportedly got him a Mercedes-Benz CLA worth N30m in 2020 and the singer also bought him a house. Dancer Poco Lee made the big announcement about the house on Instagram.
ShubomiÂ
The singer has a beautiful younger sister named Shubomi, popularly known as Shubby. According to her IG page (@shubomi____), she is a brand influencer, fashion, and face model. She loves her brothers so much and takes every opportunity to share pictures and videos of them on her Instagram page.
Shubby seems to be doing well for herself as she recently got herself a brand new Mercedes Benz in December 2020. Marley’s sister took to her Instagram page to make the big announcement.
Lil Smart is Not One of Naira Marley’s Siblings
The question of whether or not Lil Smart is Naira Marley’s younger brother keeps popping up every now and then because of the close resemblance of the two. But the answer is NO, Smart is not in any way related to the singer. He is just a professional dancer that dances for and with Naira and they are reportedly friends too.
Lil Smart’s full name is Idowu Smart Emmanuel and asides from dancing, he is also a comedian, actor, model, songwriter, and skateboarder.
