Falz Opens Up About Leaving His Law Career
Nigerian rapper, actor and trained lawyer Folarin Falana, widely known as Falz, has explained why he stopped working as a lawyer. He said the demands of his blossoming music career made it increasingly difficult to appear in court and represent clients.
Falz studied law at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom before completing his training at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja, where he was called to the Bar in 2012. Around the same time, his debut single “Wahz Up Guy” (2011) began to draw attention to his musical talent.
During the early stages of his music rise, Falz was still actively practising litigation, often appearing in court alongside his father, renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana. However, as his fame grew, juggling both professions became a challenge.
A turning point came during one court appearance when the judge recognised him from his entertainment work. Although the case proceeded without issue, the incident prompted Falz to consider the future impact of his celebrity status on his legal duties.
He concluded that remaining in active legal practice could become problematic as more people identified him primarily as a musician. Falz worried that his presence in court might distract proceedings and lead clients to doubt his availability due to his busy entertainment schedule.
With his face now widely recognised across Nigeria, he felt that balancing both careers would only grow harder. In his own words:
“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.
“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.”
Falz’s decision to step away from the courtroom highlights the pressures faced by entertainers who also pursue professional careers. His story underscores the difficulty of maintaining dual high‑profile paths when public attention intensifies.
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