9ice

9ice (born Abolore Ajifolajifaola Adegbola Akande, on 17 January 1980) is a Nigerian musician. He is a south-westerner from Ogbomoso in Oyo State but he grew up in the district of Bariga in Lagos.

9ice won the award for Best Hip Hop Artist at the MTV Africa Music Awards in 2008.^[1] At the third edition of the Hip Hop World Awards held in Nigeria, he won the Revelation of the Year award and Best Male Vocal Performer. A month later at the first SoundCity Music Video Awards, he was nominated in the category of Best New Artist. 9ice's biggest single is titled "Gongo Aso". He is the founder of Alapomeji Records.

In 2014, 9ice revealed that he was going to contest for a political office in his native Ogbomosho in Oyo state. He joined the All Progressive Congress (APC) and declared his interest to contest for a seat at the Federal House of Representatives. He lost out during the primaries. 9ice was named as a Special Adviser to the Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

Growing up

9ice attended Abule Okuta Primary School and CMS Grammar School, and dropped out from his law course at the Lagos State University to concentrate on music. He grew up in a polygamous home of five wives and nine children. His parents found about his singing career a year after it started around 2000. Before then, 9ice wrote his own songs, beginning at age 14. As a big fan of Pasuma Wonder, he kick-started his singing career with Fuji music. He derives his inspiration from his environment, and music from the likes of Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Adé, Tatalo Alamu, the late Alhaji Ayinla Omowura, and the late Alhaji Haruna Ishola.

Early career

After recording his first demo, 9ice joined the group Mysterious Boys, with whom he did a couple of tracks before going on to form his own, now defunct, group, Abinibi. Having recorded his first demo, titled Risi De Alagbaja, in 1996, and his first solo song, "Little Money" in 2000, 9ice had to wait until 2005 before gaining recognition in the Nigerian music market.

The first major break for 9ice came from his first single, "Little Money". Soon after this, he did collaborations with different Nigerian artists that prompted the release of another hit single, "Ganja Man". ID Cabasa produced this single, which was released with other songs in March 2006. The reggae tone and playful style of the song made it an instant hit. 9ice later founded his own record company and released all other albums under that label, Alapomeji Records.

Solo album and sophomore break

9ice's first album did well, and included the songs "Little Money", "Ganja Man", "Make Dem Talk" and "Music Daddy". Gongo Aso, his second album, included songs covering success, originality, partying and women, as well as themes on the institution of marriage and gratitude. He has eight studio albums to his name which includes; Certificate (2007), Gongo Aso (2008), Tradition (2009), Versus (2011) Bashorun Gaa (2011), Deluxe Version Versus & Bashorun Gaa (2011), CNN/GRA (2014) and ID Cabasa (2016).^[2] He is recognized to be the first Nigerian hip-hop artist to release two albums in a year which are C.N.N (Canceling Numerous Negativity) and G.R.A (Galvanizing Right Ahead).

Live shows

Since late 2007 9ice has featured prominently across Nigerian campuses in the Soundcity/MTN Campus Blast tours; Lets Go There Tour With Ariya Entertainment in NY, LA, Chicago, Houston, Maryland in 2008; Star Mega Jam in 2007-2010; and London Troxy in 2008 and 2010. 9ice performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute concert (singing "Gongo Aso") in London on 27 June 2008.^[3] All these shows and concerts were sold-out events. He also headlined sold-out shows in the Netherlands and Malaysia in October 2010 to mark his country's 50-year anniversary of independence. In 2010, 9ice embarked on a European tour through parts of Italy, Spain and Switzerland. He also performed live in Cyprus at Lions Garden, where many Nigerian students were in attendance.

His style

9ice is known for his use of the Yoruba language in his music, and he sometimes mixes Yoruba proverbs with English, broken English, Hausa and Igbo. 9ice compares himself to Youssou N'Dour, who has won a couple of Grammy awards with music recorded in his mother tongue, and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, whose music has also embraced her language. 9ice has been quoted as saying, "English language has been imposed on us but God graciously gave Yoruba language to us."

In January 2014, 9ice announced plans to run for a political office in 2015 as a House of Representatives member representing the Ogbomoso North Constituency, Oyo state in the National Assembly. He contested for the seat under the umbrella of the APC but lost at the party primaries.

In April 2015, the “Gongo Aso” singer was appointed a special adviser to the governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi.

Discography

• Certificate (2007)
• Gongo Aso (2008)
• Tradition (2009)
• Certificate and Tradition reloaded (2010)
• Bashorun Gaa/Versus (2011)
• CNN/GRA (2014)
• Id Cabasa (2016)
• G.O.A.T (2018)

Videography

• "Pace Setter" (2015)^[4][5] (featuring Vector)

Awards

Ambassador

• UN Youth Ambassador
• Lagos State Environmental Ambassador
• 46664 Nelson Mandela Charity Organization Ambassador
• Global Public Health Ambassador to Society for Family Health

References