Veteran Nigerian singer Alexander Akande, also known as 9ice, shared that in the early days of his singing career, he sounded a lot like the Haitian rapper, Wyclef Jean.
9ice, famous for his song ‘Photocopy’, said that he wasn’t the only Nigerian artist trying to sound like Wyclef at that time, but he believed he did it better than the others.
In a recent chat with SPS, 9ice mentioned that he stopped mimicking Wyclef Jean’s style after he found his own unique sound.
He highlighted that his music now is a mix of influences from his inspirations, including Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, and Pasuma.
“Wyclef [Jean] inspired me a lot. If you listened to my early songs, you would hear me sounding just like Wyclef Jean. There were others trying to do the same, but people thought I did it best,” he said.
“But eventually, I developed my own style. Growing up, I listened to artists like Bob Marley, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, Pasuma, and Obesere. These artists helped shape my unique blend of music.”