Zinoleesky is among the fastest-growing musical artistes in Nigeria credited for several hit Afrobeats songs such as Gone Far, Kilofeshe, and Rocking. In this article, we are going to discuss the biography of Zinoleesky, starting from his childhood days in Agege to when he was an Instagram sensation, and now an established artiste who has gained nationwide recognition for his numerous hit tracks. Read on.
The biography of Zinoleesky would be discussed below:
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Early Life and Education of Zinoleesky
Oniyede Azeez, professionally known as Zinoleesky, was born in the Agege local government area of Lagos, on November 21, 1999. He was born into the Muslim family of Mr. and Mrs. Azeez. He attended Lively Kiddies Nursery and Primary School for his elementary education where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC). For his secondary school education, he enrolled in Boys Secondary School, a public secondary school in Agege, where he acquired his Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).
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Age
Zinoleesky was born on November 21, 1999, so he’ll be 24 years old by November 21, 2023.
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Musical Career of Zinoleesky
As a teenager growing up in Agege local government area of Lagos, Zinoleesky enjoyed listening to Afrobeats, Highlife, Pop, Juju, and Fuji sounds. This fostered his interest to make music, which he began with freestyling rap songs in front of his classmates as a secondary school student. He was also known to perform at several social events organized by his school, and compete in numerous talent shows in his locality and other parts of Lagos.
Upon graduation from secondary school, he decided to focus on music squarely. So he began booking studio sessions to record songs that he had penned down at home. He was consistently visiting studios around Agege that he soon became known in the Agege music community. And with the increasing popularity in his locality, Zinoleesky was often asked to perform at events held in Agege.
In a bid to increase his popularity outside Agege, Zinoleesky set up an Instagram account where he began posting videos of him freestyling rap songs. Most of the videos he posted on his Instagram page showed him rapping to instrumentals of popular songs or doing covers of trendy Afrobeats singles at the time. As he consistently posted videos of freestyle and covers of songs on his Instagram page so did his online audience began to grow. In 2017, his freestyle rap videos went viral and generated massive engagements which pushed him to the limelight.
Zinoleesky and Lil Frosh, another talented Instagram sensation at the time, recorded and posted multiple videos that showed them freestyling to Afrobeats on their respective Instagram accounts. This collaboration with Lil Frosh further expanded Zinoleesky’s online fanbase. Shortly after, Zinolessky began to receive collaboration requests from other musical artistes, both established acts and upcoming musicians.
In 2019, Davido offered Zinoleesky a record deal with Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), but at that time, Zinoleesky declined the offer, stating he preferred to remain an independent artiste. Another record label, AMW, owned by Aloma, an aide to Davido, also offered Zinoleesky a record deal but he turned down the offer. But later in 2019, after Naira Marley founded his record which he named Marlian Music, Zinoleesky and three other artistes including Fabian Blu, Mohbad, and C Blvck, were announced as new signees to the record label at the 2019 Marlian Fest.
Since joining Marlian Music in 2019, Zinoleesky has made tremendous exploits in the Nigerian music industry. He’s collaborated with lots of artistes to release Afrobeats hits. Months after joining Marlian Music, Zinoleesky released a 6-track extended play project titled Chrome, which became a success. The songs that make up the EP include Kilofoshe, Angeli, Wo Wa Mi, Ma Pariwo, Ni Tori E, and Bullet.
Following the success of his debut EP, Chrome, Zinoleesky released several other songs such as Gone Far and Rocking, as well as featured in several songs of established acts such as Lilkesh’s Don’t Call Me, which topped several music charts since its release.
In the latter part of 2022, Zinoleesky released his second EP, titled Grit and Lust, a fusion of Afrobeat, Afro-pop and Amapiano. The EP contained 8 tracks with support from Omah Lay and Arya Starr. The songs that make up the Grit and Lust EP include Personal, Odinaka, Yan Yan Yan, Run it Up, Many Roads (ft. Ayra Starr), Last Time (ft. Omah Lay), Call of Duty, and Rocking.
Zinoleesky is proficient in making music in English, Pidgin, and Yoruba language.
Here’s a list of some songs that Zinoleesky has released or was featured in:
- Naira Marley
- Gone Far
- Ma Pariwo
- Kilofeshe
- Caro (featuring Naira Marley)
- Won Wa Mi
- Nitori E
- Angeli
- Money
- Bullet
- Joromi
- Popo
- Life Drama
- Angeli
- Wo Wa Mi
- Ma Pariwo
- Ni Tori E
- Kilofeshe
- Bullet
- Vanessa
- Ole
- Fame
- Apple
- Odun (Naira Marley ft. Zinoleesky)
- Yolo
- Firi Yoyo
- Kilometre (ft. BNXN)
- Joromi
- Stay
- Money
- Shuga Dadi
- Who Knows
- Personal
- Odinaka
- Yan Yan Yan
- Run it Up
- Many Roads (ft. Arya Starr)
- Last Time (ft. Omah Lay)
- Call of Duty
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Awards and Nominations
Zinoleesky is yet to win an award for his music, however, he was nominated for the Next Rated Artiste category in The Headies 2022 edition. BNXN was the winner of 2022 The Headies’ Next Rated Artiste award.
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Net Worth
According to research we’ve carried out by consulting several websites that give insight into Zinoleesky’s net worth, it’s safe to say he’s worth between $400,000 and $650,000, as of early 2023. The major source of his income is music and entertainment, including earnings from music streaming platforms, music shows and concerts, endorsement deals, and collaborations with other established artistes.