On September 12, 2023, 27-year-old Nigerian singer and rapper, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as ‘Mohbad’ or ‘Imole’ passed on. The immediate circumstances surrounding his death have been shrouded in mystery as his burial was conducted less than 24 hours later without a coroner’s inquest into the cause of death.
Mohbad is not the first personality in the Nigerian music industry to have passed on in recent times, neither is he the most prominent. However, his demise has sparked heightened interest, considering the controversial nature of the past year in his musical journey, particularly in light of the dispute he had with his former record label, Marlian Music Record and the label boss, Azeez Fashola (Naira Marley).
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Ilerioluwa was signed to Marlian Music Records in December 2019, after which he came into the limelight after the release of some hit songs. After a relatively quiet 18 months, Mohbad came into the limelight again, and then the drama started. In
February 2022, Mohbad as well as fellow Marlian signee, Zinoleesky were arrested by the NDLEA for the possession of illegal substances such as weed and MDMA (Molly). In a video that made rounds on social media, the singers along with their friends got into a scuffle with the NDLEA officials as they were being handcuffed. Less than two weeks later, Naira Marley, the label boss revealed that the “misunderstanding” with the NDLEA had been resolved.
The NDLEA episode was the first sign that the relationship between Mohbad and the record label was on shaky grounds. One day after the incident on February 25, 2022, Mohbad in an IG live video noted to the public to hold “Marlian Music and Naira Marley responsible if I am killed.”
In the disturbing poorly-lit video, he was heard saying while in panic, “My God will never mess me up. I’m in the estate. Don’t let anyone near me please, just the policemen. I thought I didn’t know what I was doing but look at all these people,”
“Don’t open the gate for anybody. Please, just help me. I don’t want to die. I don’t know why these people are behaving like this to me. Everybody in the world, if I die it’s Marlian Music [of] Naira Marley killed me. They’ve been doing bad things to me. I went mad because of this issue. Now they’re trying to kill me.”
In October 2022, Mohbad made another serious allegation against his own manager and Naira Marley, claiming Naira Marley instructed others to physically assault him when he revealed his plans to hire a new manager to oversee his music and business matters. The drama between Mohbad and Naira Marley continued into November 2022, when Mohbad was finally released from his contract with Marlian Music Records.
After his release from Naira Marley’s record label, his run-in with the label did not stop as a petition to the Police dated June 2023 against Samson Balogun (a known associate of Naira Marley) was made recently made public. In the petition, he alleged that Samson “Sammy Larry” Balogun had assaulted him and destroyed some of his properties.
Who is Naira Marley?
The name Naira Marley became part of Nigerian pop culture in 2019 when a new artist with a unique style of music came on the scene. His style was synonymous with the street-hop genre of music as well as a lifestyle trend that was characterized by weed smoking, a lack of regard for authority espoused in the tagline “No Manners” or “No Belt Gang”.
In essence, his fanbase, known as “Marlians,” rapidly expanded as his music style resonated with different street groups in Nigeria, mainly because of its rebellious attitude towards authority. This connection was strengthened by Naira Marley’s own encounter with the EFCC.
Music over time has transcended different philosophical frameworks, evolving with the shifting sands of human thought and culture. From its early roots in ancient civilizations to its contemporary expressions in the digital age, music has been a reflection of the philosophical ideas and values that have shaped societies throughout history. As philosophical paradigms shifted and morphed, so too did the melodies, harmonies, and lyrics that echoed the prevailing sentiments of the time.
Hence, even in Nigeria, music has transcended from being a tool for social justice as elicited by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti to being basically for entertainment characterised by show business. To some, Naira Marley’s movement was a plague that needed to be curbed as it was built on the glorification of vices, while to others, Naira Marley was basically making music to appeal to a particular demographic which is not an offence.
However, one thing Nigerians did not do was question the origin of this new street king. Azeez Fashola (Naira Marley) is a British Nigerian who was born in Badagry, Lagos, however, he and his family moved to Peckham, South London when he was 11. If there are two things Peckham is known for, it is Nigerians and knife gangs.
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Funnily, while Naira Marley was speaking, Nigerians weren’t listening. In 2019, in an Instagram live session, he revealed that he had been arrested 124 times in the United Kingdom, noting that he was a gangster. Another report revealed that in 2014, then-19-year-old Azeez Fashola was declared wanted by Lewisham Police alongside four other men for crimes ranging from robbery to sexual assault on a night bus.
Building on his quick rise to acclaim, Marley instituted a new record label, Marlians Music Records, and without delay, he pushed out two new acts, Zinoleesky and Mohbad, who quickly became the faces of the record label. He also signed other acts to the label such as CBlack, Fabian Blu, Vusic, and Tori Keeche, among others.
Record label drama is not new to the Nigerian Music industry. In fact, it’ll probably feature as alphabet D in the A-Z of the Nigeria Music label. Hence, whenever the Marlian record label was in the news for any drama, it didn’t generate much buzz. For example, in October last year, when 6ix, a former signee with the record label made damning allegations of attempted murder against the record label and Sammy Larry, Naira Marley’s close associate, it barely even made the mention among bloggers, because it was just “record label drama”.
When the scenario with Mohbad began making the news, the hefty allegations of assault and threat to life made against the label were treated as lightweight by the Nigerian public, because “record label drama is an everyday occurrence.” Considering the record label-linked death of Mohbad, the searchlight is now beamed to the atrocious method of operation in the Marlian Music Records as well as Nigerian record labels in general.
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In 2020, Aderoju Matthew, known as DJ Splash began to work as the in-house DJ for the Marlian Music Records. However, from working for the label, he became a mentally ill patient. He revealed that he started his journey as a DJ while living with Naira Marley. However, he had a hard time making enough money to take care of his family, and whatever little he did earn, he mostly used to support himself.
DJ Splash made a big decision to switch from being a DJ to trying to become a musician in the hopes of improving his financial situation. When he told Naira Marley about this goal, the head of Marlian Records strongly disagreed with his choice. The drama that played out between Naira Marley and DJ Splash never came to the spotlight until the death of Mohbad.
The various revelations that have made news in the past week shone the spotlight on the kind of personality Azeez Fashola has. Essentially, he has always been a criminal mastermind, however, Nigeria gave him the spotlight to wrap his personality in the sweet cover of a musical aficionado.
