Award-winning rapper and actor Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has opened up about why he abandoned legal practice, saying the rapid growth of his music career made it increasingly difficult to continue appearing in court.
Falz, who studied law and was called to the Nigerian Bar after graduating from the Nigerian Law School, said he initially combined litigation with his budding music career before eventually deciding to focus on entertainment.
Speaking on the Behind The Story podcast, the entertainer explained that balancing courtroom responsibilities with an active performance schedule became unsustainable.
“It is balanceable. But for me, I was an active performer and the music was taking up so much. I thought it would be incredibly difficult. I was doing litigation. I was going to court. I was working with my dad at the time. I would represent clients,” he said.
Falz, who rose to prominence in 2011 with his debut single Wahz Up Guy, recalled a memorable courtroom experience that convinced him his growing celebrity status could become a distraction to legal proceedings.
According to him, a judge once recognised him during a court session shortly after he announced his appearance, hinting at his growing popularity outside the legal profession.
“There was a day in court, I announced my appearance. And the judge said: ‘Are you not the one doing something on the side?’ He said it codedly. At this time, people had started to know me as Femi Falana’s son.
“Imagine I am now starting to get more acclaim and I pull up in court, it would be chaos. It would distract everything. A client could say they do not want me, thinking I would be busy with other things. It would have been tough for me. My face is very much out there.”
The son of renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana said his increasing visibility as an entertainer would have created practical challenges for both the courts and his clients, making a full-time legal career difficult to sustain.
Today, Falz is regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading entertainers, with a successful career spanning music, film and television, while also remaining vocal on social and national issues.
