Rapper and activist, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz has shared how his upbringing shaped his approach to activism.
In a recent episode of the Menisms Podcast, he clarified that his activism predates the 2020 ENDSARS Protest, contrary to popular belief.
He said: “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 attributed his activism to his background, growing up listening to Fela Kuti’s music and being influenced by his father, Femi Falana.
He emphasised that his father’s selflessness and commitment to social justice inspired him.
“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”, he added.
The rapper stressed that activism has always been a part of him, and he has been conscious of social issues throughout his life.
He explained that the 2020 ENDSARS protest was a culmination of his existing activism, saying he felt compelled to take action.
“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”, he concluded.
