Veteran Singer and Rapper Lanre Fasasi, popularly known as ‘Sound Sultan’ is dead. The Fasasi family announced his death, Sunday, July 2021 after battling throat cancer for sometime.
This is coming two months after media reports that the singer was undergoing chemotherapy in a hospital in the United States of America.
According to the statement released by the family and monitored by Persecondnews, Sound Sultan died after “a hard fought battle with Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma,” a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a group of related malignancies (cancers) that affect the lymphatic system (lymphomas).
Sound Sultan’s career in show business started in the 1990s when he hosted shows to raise money for studio sessions. By 1999, he had won numerous local talent-hunt shows.
He released his first single “Jagbajantis” in 2000, which was a hit in Nigeria. After independently releasing other singles and featuring in hit songs of other artists, he was signed by Kennis Music.
Under Kennis Music, he released four albums. By 2007, his contract with the label expired and he partnered with Baba Dee to start Naija Ninjas, a parent organization for a record label, production outfit and clothing line. After starting as a rapper, he has worked in different musical genres from R&B to Afrobeat, soul and Nigerian Fuji music. He has said that artists shouldn’t be judged on the genre in which they perform, that the important thing is the message conveyed in the music.
Under Naija Ninjas, he released Back From The Future (2010) and signed artists such as Karma Da Rapper, Young GreyC, Shawn and Blacka.
Sound Sultan began a working relationship with Wyclef Jean when featured alongside 2face Idibia and Faze on “Proud to be African” from Wyclef’s Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 album. They collaborated on two other projects: “King of My Country” (2009) and “People Bad” (2012).
In 2012, it was announced that Sound Sultan was made a UN Ambassador for Peace for his exemplary lifestyle and career. In 2015, Sound Sultan released the rap single “Remember” after a long absence from the music scene.
After the fallout of the African Basketball League, Sound Sultan joined forces with the organizers of the Continental Basketball League to become a team owner of Lagos City Stars (the 2017 champions) and a facilitator of the league entertainment. Sound Sultan featured on Honorebel’s 2019 single “Bridal” with Joe El.
Born Olarenwaju Abdulganiu Fasasi, Sound Sultan was until his death at 44 years, a songwriter, actor, comedian and basketball club co-owner, asides being a rapper and a singer. He is survived by his wife, three children and his siblings.
His family pleads with the public for privacy as they come to grips with the tragic loss.
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