9ice Admits to Imitating Wyclef Jean Early in His Career

Veteran Nigerian singer Alexander Akande, popularly known as 9ice, recently revealed that he closely imitated the sound of Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean during the early stages of his music career.

In a candid interview with SPS, the “Photocopy” hitmaker admitted that he wasn’t the only Nigerian artist emulating Wyclef at the time but believed he did it better than others. “My inspiration was Wyclef [Jean]. If anybody listened to me at the beginning, there was a time I was sounding like Wyclef 100 per cent,” 9ice said. “And there were other people that were sounding like him, but they felt that I sounded better than them when it comes to sounding like Wyclef.”

However, 9ice eventually moved away from imitation and discovered his own unique sound. He credited his musical style to the influence of legends like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley, and Nigerian Fuji icons Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, Pasuma, and Obesere. “These are the people that I listened to while growing up, and they formed my blend in music,” 9ice explained.

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