Falz is a striking name in the Nigerian music industry and even overseas. You probably know his given name is Folaran Falana and that he is the son of the famed lawyer Femi Falana and that he is signed to his own label BahdGuy Records. You may, also, know about his many musical prowess and the dust his music video “This is Nigeria” caused. You definitely don’t know where he is right now. We, too, have no information about that. It doesn’t count. We do have information about him that you do not yet know that counts.
For instance, we know he is searching. For a wife, yes. Born in 1990, this is a surprise. His mates would rather go down the baby mama road. Not Falz. He seeks to settle down. Falz revealed this desire in early 2015 when he was twenty-four in an interview. “I dey look for wife,” he said. “I am really looking for a wife… I am very serious about this. I am searching for the true one, someone that can love me for who I am and what I am as a person.” He said all this amidst laughter before adding “This is no joke at all.”
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This was more than four years ago. The fact that we haven’t heard anything about this serious search has made the whole thing begin to look like a joke. But if you know his history deeper, you would see that he has suffered so many heartbreaks and it is no joke that he is taking his time.
You may be surprised. He is a rich guy, from a popular family and famous. He should be the heartbreaker. Quite the contrary, Falz has suffered his fair share of heartbreaks. This is perhaps connected to why he began searching for a wife very early in the game. We do not know who his heartbreakers are. None of his relationships has made the news. Except for Simi, a rumor the duo came out to deny. A Simi whom Adekunle Gold stole.
The bahd guy
What does bahd mean? The first thought is the popular one, bad in a swagger sense of the word. Or bad in the villain fold. Neither. Falz has revealed the true meaning of bahd. It is an abbreviation – Brilliant and highly distinctive. A mouthful.
Falz indicates he is well-brought-up by his parents who sent him to the University of Reddington in the UK where he studied law then returned to get called to the bar in Nigeria. The intention shared by himself and his parents was for him to follow his father’s legal path. In an interview with the Vanguard, he said his father’s lifestyle and achievement in the legal circle was a motivation for going into law. “I went to study law,” he said; “to follow in his footsteps. But along the line, I just developed the love for music and music stole my heart.” So he derailed and became a rapper. Forget the fancy abbreviation he coined from bahd, this has said it all. Falz is a bahd guy.
Falz – The unique musician
Wahzup Music, he calls it. Wahzup Music is a music genre that blends comical lyrics done in Yoruba, pidgin, and English with hip-hop. His genre might not be totally unique but he dominates in this manner of music. He is getting it right as he is rated highly among rappers in Nigeria, making the NotJustOk Top Ten Best Rappers as early as 2014.
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This was just the beginning. Today, Falz is somewhere in the top five rappers and is in nearly everyone’s top two to three musicians of conscience in Nigeria. And he has won a handful of headies which we can see and a place in the heart of many music lovers which we can’t see.
Falz the award-winning actor
He sings, he raps, he writes. He is known for these. He has won an award for these. He is an actor. Not many know this about him. Even less known is the fact that he has won awards for this. In 2015, Falz played the role of Segun in Funke Akindele’s series Jenifa’s Diary. He acted the role of an affluent young hairdresser who worked in a salon where he met and fell in love with Jenifa. His heavy Yoruba accent which he wielded with so much ease and class made his character a powerful one. It might have also won him an award as he was named Best Actor in a Comedy Movie/Series in 2016 African Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
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The award might be arguable but the fact that he showed so many skills in acting an irregular role for someone who is an established musician might have swayed the organizers.
In 2016, Falz joined the cast of the everlasting soap opera “Tinsel” where he played the role of Kayode Beko-Williams, boyfriend to Thelma (Damilola Adegbite Attoh). His character here was minor and regular, acting the posh guy should suit him which continually makes his Segun role in Jenifa’s Diary outstanding where he has an unrequited love for Jenifa. In 2018, he was part of the ensemble cast of “Chief Daddy” where he played the role of the chief’s assumed first son and terrible musician and lover to the character of Beverly Osu.
The activist
Like father like son, you would say and you would not be wrong. While the father is more of a political activist who you would most likely see in the court and outside groaning for the rights of political dissents and citizens who find themselves on the wrong side of the powers that be.
For Falz, he is more of a social fighter. His songs, his tweets and his comments have, on numerous times, taken a strong stance against gender-based violence, sexual harassment, religious fanaticism, political irresponsibility, hypocrisy, and all. He is so emersed in his activism that sometimes when news of sexual assault breaks out, people rush to his social media timeline to get his perspective – and sometimes knock him for delaying in commenting.
Image source: ThisDay
