Falz defines how background influenced his affinity for social justice

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

In contemporary Nigerian media, Falz is one of the few celebrities who has taken it upon himself to seek proficiency from the rulership of the nation. Falz whose real name is Folarin Falana has never shied away from demanding for excellence from the government.

Spearheading the 2020 EndSars in Lagos state, Falz was one of the notable personalities who took to the streets of Nigeria to seek social justice.

The popular rapper guest starred in the recent episode of the Menisms Podcast.

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When asked about his activism, Falz responded, “It was definitely not the ENDSARS moment that made me start activism; it was way before that moment that I’ve been doing this. I won’t lie, 100% of my background has played a huge part because this is what I grew up on.”

Falz, who grew up listening to the iconic singer Fela Kuti, attributed his activism to the musical records and the influence of his father, Femi Falana.

He explained, “Apart from the Fela records, my dad is someone who has been an activist for maybe over 40 years so having someone like that as a father, everywhere I went, someone had a story about what he did for them. So that level of selflessness, which was an example for me so early on, played a part in shaping me and who I became. That was always at the back of my mind so with everything I was doing with my record, I drew inspiration from everything around me.”

Falz stressed that his activism was always part of him, “I’ve always been conscious and it’s always been there, so it’s not like I woke up one day. 2020 was a time when so much was happening that we needed to take a further step from just talking and we had to walk the walk. Of course, I was going to be in front because I had been talking the talk anyway.”