Falz
Folarin Falana (born October 27, 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor. He began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called “The School Boys” with his friend before his professional career as a music artist began in 2009. Falz became more well-known after his song “Marry Me” featuring vocals from Poe and Yemi Alade.
He currently owns an independent record label called Bahd Guys Records. He released his debut album Wazup Guy in 2014. His second album Stories That Touch was released in 2015. He released 27 as his third studio album in 2017. On January 15, 2019, he released his fourth studio album Moral Instruction.
Early life and education
Falz was born in the local government area of Mushin, Lagos, to renowned lawyers and human right activists Femi and Funmi Falana. He was called to the bar in 2012 after graduating from the Nigeria Law School in Abuja.
Falz completed his basic and secondary school education at St. Leo’s Catholic Primary School, Ikeja and Olashore International School, Osun State respectively.He is an alumnus of the University of Reading England, having graduated with an LLB honors degree in Law.
Music Career
2009–2013
Falz started music as a hobby while in secondary school. He formed a music group with a friend called “The School Boys”. In 2009, he released a compilation of some of his recordings as a mixtape titled Shakara: The Mixtape.
In 2011, Falz released a single titled “Waz Up Guy”, then released “High Class” and “Currency”, which gained him grounds in the Nigerian music industry.
2014–2016
On January 2, 2014, Falz was listed in tooXclusive’s “Artistes To Watch in 2014”.
On 30 May 2014, Falz released his debut studio album titled Wazup Guy, which was critically acclaimed by music critics.
In 2015, Falz was nominated in the “Best Collaboration of The Year” category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards for his chart-topping single “Marry Me”. It won him a nomination in the “Best Collaboration of The Year” category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. He was also nominated in the “Best Rap Act of The Year” and “Best New Act to Watch” categories.
On 31 January 2015, he released a single titled “Ello Bae”, which won him a nomination in the “Best Street Hop Artiste of The Year” category at The Headies 2015.
On 3 November 2015, he announced the release of his second studio album, titled Stories That Touch, which was released on 17 November.
In 2016, Falz won “Best Actor in a Comedy Movie/Series” at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards for his role as Segun in Funke Akindele’s TV series Jenifa’s Diary. In June 2016, Falz was voted the winner of the “Viewer’s Choice Best New International Act” category at the 2016 BET Awards.
On October 27, 2016, Falz collaborated with Simi to release Chemistry, a seven-track EP solely produced by Sess. Falz had previously worked with Simi on the singles “Jamb Question” and “Soldier”.
2017-Present
On 27 October 2017, his 27th birthday, Falz released a new album titled 27 to celebrate the day. This was a surprise album, as it was not promoted before its release. It contained 17 tracks including hit singles like “Bhad Baddo Baddest”, “Wehdone sir”, and “Something light”. It featured prominent music acts like Davido, Olamide, Burna Boy, Wande Coal, Maleek Berry, Sir Dauda, Medikal, Terry Apala, and Ycee. The album was majorly produced by Sess as in-house producer, withand some tracks were done by Maleek Berry, and studio magic. The album did very well and it gained several awards and nominations, including a nomination for The Headies Award for Rap Album of the Year.
In May 2018, Falz released a music video titled “This Is Nigeria” which was inspired by Childish Gambino’s “This is America”. It highlighted Nigerian issues including corruption and bribe
Months later, the song was ban by the NBC (National Broadcasting Commission) claiming it was a vulgar song. When Falz was asked, he said: “If they ban this song, then I do not understand them because that song is definitely not a vulgar song,”. However, Falz sues NBC for N100 Million.
On September 1, 2018, Falz won “Best Supporting Actor” at the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for his role as Quam in Tope Oshin Ogun’s movie New Money, becoming the first Nigerian musician to have won the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards twice.
Artistry
Falz describes his style of music as “Wahzup music”. It is the fusion of comic lyrics with contemporary hip-hop in a faux Yoruba accent.
On 18 November 2014, Falz was ranked #9 on notJustOk’s list of “The 10 Most Gifted Rappers In Nigeria 2014”, stating that, “Falz’s ability to maintain a thought and get his point across in 16 barz while switching accents, infusing funny punchlines and delivering all of it in a way that makes the listener follow along is nothing short of impressive”.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Jenifa’s Diary | as Segun | Soap opera |
| 2016 | Couple of Days | as Gateman | Movie |
| Tinsel | as Kayode Beko-Williams | Soap opera | |
| 2017 | 10 Days in Sun City | as Seyi | Movie |
| 2018 | New Money | as Quam | Movie |
| Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons | as Remi Martin | Movie | |
| Chief Daddy | as Femi ‘Famzy’ Beecroft | Movie | |
| 2019 | Merry Men 2 | as Remi Martin | Movie |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Scream Awards | Best New Act of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |
| 2015 | 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Rap Act of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best New Act to Watch | Nominated | ||||
| Best Collaboration of the Year | Falz for “Marry Me” | Nominated | |||
| The Headies | Best Street Hop Artiste of the Year | Falz for “Ello Bae” | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards | Best Actor in a Comedy Movie/Series | Jenifa’s Diary | Won | |
| 2016 BET Awards | Viewer’s Choice Best New International Act | Himself | Won | ||
| 2016 City People Entertainment Awards | Album of the Year | Stories That Touch | Won | ||
| 9th Nigeria Music Video Awards | Best Afro Hip Hop Video | “Karashika” | Won | ||
| 2016 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Music Video | Nominated | |||
| Album of the Year | Stories that Touch | Nominated | |||
| WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards | Best African Newcomer Video | “Bahd Baddo Baddest” | Nominated | ||
| Best African Hip Hop Video | Nominated | ||||
| The Headies | Artiste of the Year | Himself | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year | “Stories That Touch” | Nominated | |||
| Best Rap Album | “Stories That Touch” | Nominated | |||
| Best Collabo | “Soldier” | Won | |||
| Best Street Hop Artiste of the Year | Ajebutter22 featuring Falz for “Bad Gang” | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | City People Music Award | Alternative Artist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |
| Nigeria Entertainment Award | Best Album of the Year | Chemistry | Nominated | ||
| Best Rap Act of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | The Headies | Best Rap Single | “Something Light” | Nominated | |
| Best Rap Album | 27 | Nominated | |||
| Best Performer | Himself | Nominated | |||
| Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actor | New Money | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | The Headies | Best Rap Single | “Talk” | Won | |
| Best Rap Album | Moral Instruction | Won | |||
| Album of the Year |
Moving Forward
I am such a huge fan of this guy right here. He has stayed true to his trade and has turned it into a massive business venture. He is a true Nigerian story. I say this because a lot of us who are graduates end up doing things we did not specialise in. He graduated with great honours as a lawyer, yet he started doing comedy and then music and movies and he has made it on all fronts. Your experience will be so valuable to the youths of Nigeria moving forward and we cannot wait to tap into your vast knowledge. Thank you for your service to the country Bahd Guy.