Who Is Hushpuppi? – Biography and Real Name of The Billionaire Gucci Master

Hushpuppi (born October 11, 1982) is a Nigerian former Instagram influencer and convicted felon. He was known for his habit of flaunting branded clothes, expensive jewellery, and luxurious cars.

This earned him a worthy position as one of Nigeria’s and Africa’s most-talked-about persons even though his source of wealth was questionable. His massive following of over 2 million on Instagram at the time was due to his very colorful display of wealth and affluence.

He also did regular freebies on his Instagram account, asking followers to inbox him their account details to receive monetary gifts. Despite his very lavish lifestyle, little is known about Hushpuppi’s private life. He even gained the title of “The Nigerian dark horse” as no one knows exactly how he really made his money.

Summary of Hushpuppi’s Biography

  • Full name: Ramon Olorunwa Abbas
  • Nick name: Ray Hushpuppi, Aja, Raymond Igbalodely
  • Date of birth: October 11, 1982
  • Zodiac sign: Libra
  • Nationality: Nigerian
  • Ethnicity: African
  • Religion: Islam
  • Occupation: Social Media Influencer, Realtor
  • Net Worth: $20 Million

He was Born and Raised in Lagos, Nigeria

Born on October 11, 1982, Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, was raised in the slumps of Lagos, Nigeria, where he grew up in poverty. Ray, as he is fondly called, belongs to the Yoruba tribe in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, and even though there are no details of his education, following his low-income family background, it is assumed that he attended a public primary and possibly a secondary school before leaving to fend for himself.

One of the reasons why Hushpuppi was such a major figure on social media was his very secretive and yet affluent lifestyle. Not much is known about his parents, but the former social media influencer’s parents are alive, according to information on the internet. His father is a taxi driver whilst his mother sells bread in Lagos. It is also assumed that they enjoyed portions of the ill-gotten wealth amassed by their son.

Meanwhile, Mompha, Ray’s friend who revealed his parent’s real occupation, tried to expose his family’s poor state. Hushpuppi himself also made mention of his father’s second wife in one of his Instagram posts. It appears his father married twice, but his second wife passed away. He never gave an explanation of what caused her death.

As per his religion, his names depict a Christian background, and many assume that his parents are Christians. Even most of his social media photos display attributes and thanksgiving to God (not Allah which is synonymous with Muslims) for his current status. Nevertheless, Raymond’s religion is Islam, and his parents are Muslims.

Early Life Struggles from Rags to Riches

The struggle for survival was paramount for a then-average Nigerian like Hushpuppi. In many of his posts, Hushpuppi explained that he didn’t start rich and that his life story should be likened to one who struggled to move from rags to riches.

People who knew him in Lagos confirmed this report by claiming that he became rich after relocating to Malaysia. Like every low-income earner in the country, he faced what could be called the survival of the fittest for his family. In other to help solve his family’s financial needs, Ray hawked bread and sold second-hand clothes on the streets of Africa’s largest and busiest city, Lagos, until he moved to Malaysia in search of a greener pasture. Before then, he revealed that he used to be a heavy gambler and that one of his most favored ways of betting was playing online casinos in Nigeria.

The journey towards changing his poor status was never an easy one, but his strong determination helped him pull through life. Leaving Lagos, Nigeria, for Malaysia marked a good beginning for Raymond Igbalodely. The celebrity revealed that his first trip out of Nigeria was to Ethiopia, where he slept with donkeys in an uncompleted building to make ends meet. The Nigerian socialite also recalled how he lived and struggled through life selling phones and phone accessories in Ashimota, Ghana. However, he became wealthy after moving to Malaysia and then Dubai, where he lived until his arrest.

Hushpuppi Before and After

Ray Hushpuppy’s financial upsurge apparently followed his decision to leave the borders of his home country. Nobody knows the actual work he ventured into while in Malaysia, but he claimed to have struggled for years before gaining balance and started earning real money in the country. There, he also became popular as the Nigerian dark horse.

Before his arrest in 2020, Hushpuppi is known to have his residence at one of Dubai’s luxury retreat for leisure travelers, Versace Pallazo. This neoclassical masterpiece with subtle traces of Arabian architecture is one of the best places in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.

Ray allegedly had an apartment in the Versace Palace where he lived for 33 months before he was arrested. The luxury 5-star hotel is located only a few minutes from the Dubai International airport, in Jaddaf Waterfront, Al Jaddaf, and reportedly cost Ray around $10,000 each month as rent. Hushpuppi who has been seen on numerous occasions with different Nigerian politicians has never been reported to own a home anywhere else.

Is Hushpuppi a Fraudster/Yahoo Boy?

Technically speaking, we are yet to see anyone in any part of the world who would proudly come out to say he does “Yahoo Yahoo” for a living. However, we’ve had many young boys being arrested with quite several super-luxury cars worth millions that they probably can never explain how they can afford them legally. Ray, for instance, was an incredibly wealthy Nigerian often referred to as the richest yahoo boy in Nigeria. A Yahoo boy is a local word for an individual who makes money by duping people online using various gimmicks.

Although he severally debunked the allegation, saying he earned much of his wealth through real estate business, this socialite was repeatedly mentioned among the richest young men linked to fraud. He was once linked to being a Yahoo boy when he apparently forgot to hide an email address that appeared in a screenshot he shared on his Instagram page. The email was later discovered to belong to one Jane Woodscrane based in Houston. Ray was linked with some so-called rich yahoo boys like Mompha, Baddy Oosha, and King Jide.

Meanwhile, for reasons best known to him, Hushpuppi in one of his responses to people’s claims of him being a yahoo boy, mentioned his preference to be called a “beggar by profession.” Before his arrest, he posed as a real estate investor and businessman. In what appears to be a move to allay people’s doubts about his profession’s legality, the socialite shared a video on social media, showing off what he claimed to be his estate in Ivory Coast. The new property located in Cocody, Abidjan, in Ivory Coast had four buildings facing the water, all still under construction.

Who Is Hushpuppi? - Real Name and Biography of The Billionaire Gucci Master
Huspuppi’s Real Estate in Cote D’Ivoire

While his then-social and financial status earned him friends and foes alike, the former Instagram star seemed very proud of himself and who he had become. Inone of his posts, the former Instabillonaire proudly congratulated himself on doing his best to move his family from nothing to something. He said that his complete confidence in himself has helped him alleviate poverty from his family and his generations to come.

Why Hushpuppi is Called “The Billionaire Gucci Master” 

One of the titles the Nigerian Socialite Ray Hushpuppi enjoys to call himself is “The Billionaire Gucci Master’. This sparked rumors about him being a Gucci ambassador. It is a known fact that Hushpuppi was a lover of Gucci products, and never had a problem showing off the brand on social media. As a devoted lover of the brand, Ray wore everything Gucci from shoes to caps, clothing, and even bags. That, however, was no proof that the socialite earned an endorsement from the luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy.

Ray once received flowers from the Gucci family in Dubai wishing him a quick recovery when he fell ill and received treatment at the hospital. The luxury company presented him with a cake on his birthday in 2017. It is in the same manner that he received gifts from other luxury brands around the world, including a birthday cake from Fendi for his 2018 birthday.

Gucci may have been Hushpuppi’s favorite brand, but he was also a big fan of other popular brands like Balenciaga, Burberry, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Versace. He also had some of his wears and products customized by some of these top brands. A good example are his bathrobes which were customized by Versace. You would find most of his customized robes, including a yellow robe, a red and purple robe on his Instagram page. Meanwhile, a Malaysia-based socialite Investor BJ has shaded Hushpuppi for calling himself a Gucci master, saying he is the only Gucci King in Malaysia.

His Other Names

Hushpuppi isn’t the only name he is known as; he is also called Ray Hushpuppi, Aja Puppi, a.k.a Aja 4. Some sites also have his name as Raymond Igbalodely, but it appears the socialite prefers to be called Hushpuppi. While the real meaning of the title is unknown, an online urban dictionary says the name is given to boys living fake lives by trying to impress others. These kinds of boys turn social media to their homes, ignoring their families at all cost.

Who are Hushpuppi’s Siblings? 

Hushpuppi’s social media show-off speaks volumes about everything that concerns his life except his family. The socialite is not the kind that loves to flaunt his family as much as he does with his flamboyant lifestyle. This is why it is not known if the socialite has younger siblings or not. We are, however aware of his older sibling who passed away after a brief illness. Ray said his immediate elder sister died while awaiting typhoid treatment at Gbagada hospital, Ikeja Lagos. Although he is unable to speak further about his siblings, Hushpuppi blamed the Nigerian government for the death of his sister. He claimed that both his sister and stepmother died out of negligence on the path of the government.

Aside from members of his family, Hushpuppi has been involved with a good number of women. However, the young fraudulent billionaire has refused to settle for either a wife or a girlfriend, but he has had past relationships with many ladies. The latest of all his known ex-girlfriends is Amiyah Dyme who disclosed in dismay that Hushpuppi dumped her because she was not good for him. After which she blatantly called him a glorified thief. It is worthy to note that the Instagram star loves to meet new people. He was once seen at Naomi Campbell’s charity event ‘Fashion for Relief’, hanging out in the company of many prominent celebrities.

Indeed, he has associated with the strong and mighty which made many unsuspecting people believe that he was involved in a legitimate business prior to his arrest. But following his arrest and the revelations the authorities have made about his fraudulent ways, Hushpuppi has been despised by many for being a thief and leading many astray with his fake lifestyle.

How Many Children Does Hushpuppi Have?

Ray is not one of those who will freely let you into his private life. For reasons best known to him, he has managed to keep details of his relationships away from the media. This is why very little is known about his children.

As part of his ongoing celebrated trial, Hushpuppi revealed he has three children from three different women. He said two of the three children live in London while the third lives in New York City. He told Pretrial Services that he has had an on and off relationship with the last child’s mother for the past five years. Pretrial Services Programs are procedures in the U.S. to prepare cases for trial in court.

Be that as it may, nothing much is known about his kids like their names, age, what they look like, and schools that are attending.

Hushpuppi Was Arrested in 2020

Although Hushpuppi once told his social media followers that he was a real estate developer, a federal affidavit claimed that he financed his expensive lifestyle through hacking schemes that stole millions of dollars from major companies in Europe and America.

Unfortunately for him, investigators were able to find a digital trail of evidence through his social media posts which they used to connect him to the crimes, as shown in the affidavit. Consequently, in June 2020, United Arab Emirates (UAE) investigators raided the Dubai apartment where he lived and arrested him alongside 11 other co-conspirators whom he worked with.

According to a statement by Dubai Police, investigators also confiscated 13 luxury cars worth $6.8 million, almost $41 million, and phone and computer evidence. Email addresses of almost 2 million likely victims on hard drives, computers, and phones were also uncovered, as revealed by Dubai authorities.

Meanwhile, following his arrest in the UAE, Hushpuppi was handed him over to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, who flew him to Chicago on the 2nd of July 2020. Upon his arrival in the United States, he was slammed with accusations of conspiring to launder approximately US$14.7 million through cyber crime schemes.

On Wednesday, 28 July 2021, the social media influencer pleaded guilty to money laundering and also mentioned Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Nigeria, as an accessory in his scam deal worth $1.1 million. The next day, a US Court issued an FBI a warrant for Kyari’s arrest.

The Fraudster Was Sentenced to Prison in November 2022

Hushpuppi’s sentencing was scheduled for 19 September 2022. Prior to the said date, he made a final appeal to Judge Otis Wright in a personal letter to the court narrating how he acquired his wealth, his criminal activities, and how much he regrets his actions. He also apologized to the members of his family for bringing them shame and commended the FBI for doing a painstaking job while bringing him to book.

On 19 September 2022, Judge Otis Wright moved Hushpuppi’s sentencing to the 3rd of November 2022 when he was eventually sentenced to more than 11 years (135 months) in a federal prison.

Chika Udeh
Chika Udeh
Chika is an expert wordsmith who uses her skills to write about people and events that matter. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music and moving along to the tune.

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