Nazizi: The truth about my divorce

PHOTO | COURTESY Hip hop artist Nazizi Hirji with her son.

What you need to know:

  • Last week, East Africa was shocked as news broke that the First Lady of Hip-Hop, Nazizi, had divorced her husband of five years Vini Leopold. In an exclusive interview with Buzz, Nazizi reveals to JOHN MUCHIRI what led to the break up.
  • First of all, this was never supposed to happen. When I got married to Vini, I wanted him to be my life partner and have a beautiful family together.
  • We returned to Lamu after five months and decided to settle there. We bought a beach plot, constructed a house, bought a boat and life started. Our son loved the place too.
  • I’m a hard working woman. I have always been. I can take care of myself. All I asked him to do is share responsibility of raising our son. He has a right to see him whenever he wants and he has been doing that already.

Buzz: Thanks for giving us this interview.

Nazizi: You are welcome. However, I just don’t like the way bloggers go on reporting wrong information all the time.

Buzz: So you are here to give us the correct information about your divorce, right?

Nazizi: Yes, so tell me what you want to know.

Buzz: After five years of marriage, you have a son, what went wrong?

Nazizi: First of all, this was never supposed to happen. When I got married to Vini, I wanted him to be my life partner and have a beautiful family together.

Buzz: Just like many other people who get married…

Nazizi: Yes, and those who know us well know that we lived happily together and we were there for each other all the time. In fact, when we got our son, we were even tighter as a family.

Buzz: But we are talking about a divorce after only five years of marriage…

Nazizi: It has not been easy, especially the time of getting to file for divorce. Before that, we had separated for almost one-and-a-half years.

Buzz: Okay, let’s move step by step. When you got married here in Nairobi, you had your baby and moved to Lamu. Why?

Nazizi: In March 2010, we went to Lamu to shoot one of my videos. Vini was there and we fell in love with the island. Being a young family, we thought it would be great to raise our son in such a peaceful environment. Again, we had friends there and Nairobi was getting busy.

Buzz: Then what happened?

Nazizi: We returned to Lamu after five months and decided to settle there. We bought a beach plot, constructed a house, bought a boat and life started. Our son loved the place too.

Buzz: That sounds like a happy family, why the divorce?

Nazizi: Vini’s father died about two years ago. Since he is the only son, he had to go to his hometown in Arusha, Tanzania, to see what he could do for his family during the trying moments.

Buzz: And there is nothing wrong with that…

Nazizi: Yes, only that he spent more time there than with us. He would stay for over four months, come to Lamu for about two weeks and return to Arusha.

Buzz: Then…

Nazizi: I started getting worried why he wasn’t coming back home. I was out there in Lamu, our son was growing up, and he wasn’t showing any signs of wanting to come back to us. So we had to talk about it.

Buzz: Didn’t he like Lamu?

Nazizi: He loved Lamu, he told me that and I knew it. Somehow I started thinking that he wanted to be there for his two younger sisters and his mother. We were separated for almost a year and that was already too much for me and our son. 

Buzz: So you both decided to end the marriage?

Nazizi: After giving it much thought, we agreed to go our separate ways, instead of being apart and still pretend to be married.

Buzz: Your parents didn’t intervene?

Nazizi: They have always done that, giving us hope that we will sort our issues and be together again. But as we speak, the divorce case has gone through and we are no longer married.

Buzz: Let’s go to the rumours doing the rounds. So you are not separating because you want to share wealth by half?

Nazizi: Absolutely not, I have read that on the Internet.  They also say that he is a rich businessman from Mombasa. Those are all lies, he is from Tanzania. On the wealth issue, we have both agreed, his is his and mine is mine. The only thing that he has responsibility for is our son. His school fees has to be paid and we have agreed on that, nothing more.

Buzz: So, rent, food and other upkeep money?

Nazizi: I’m a hard working woman. I have always been. I can take care of myself. All I asked him to do is share responsibility of raising our son. He has a right to see him whenever he wants and he has been doing that already.   

Buzz: How about the allegations that you are lesbian, and that’s why you are abandoning the marriage?

Nazizi: That’s a very funny accusation. My best friends are men and the girls I hang out with are my friends from childhood. If the way I dress is the reason why they say I’m lesbian, I will never expose my skin to make anyone happy. For the record, I’m straight, not a lesbian.

Buzz: Did marriage affect your music?

Nazizi: When you are single, things are different. You only do things for you. But when you get married, the interests of your husband and child come first. So that’s how family affected my music life. But right now, I’m at that musical element that I have always been.

Buzz: Where are you?

Nazizi: I’m about to launch new music in my new album ‘Nazizi Evolussion’. A singe should be out in two weeks.

Buzz: Would you consider re-marrying?

Nazizi: Hahahaha, I don’t even know how to date. I have been with Vini for 11 years. In my life I’ve had I think only four boyfriends. I consider marriage to be sacred, so no jokes. Many men fear dating me because they think I’m tough. So, I’m going to sit and let things be. We have both moved on and I can consider dating if the man would be brave enough to do so.

@moshiiri