9ice speaks on copying Wyclef Jean
Veteran Nigerian singer, Alexander Akande, aka 9ice, has opened up on how he was trying to copy Haitian rapper, Wyclef Jean, in the early days of his career.
In a recent interview, 9ice disclosed that other Nigerian artists were also copying Wyclef but he was better than the rest.
According to the singer, when he discovered his own sound, he stopped copying Wyclef Jean and started focusing on himself.
He emphasised that his brand of music is a fusion of his major inspirations like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1 and Pasuma.
“My inspiration was Wyclef [Jean]. If anybody listened to me at the beginning, there was a time I was sounding like Wyclef 100 percent. And there were other people who were sounding like him but they felt that I sounded better than them when it comes to sounding like Wyclef.
“And from sounding like Wyclef, I got to my own original sound. Bob Marley, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, Pasuma and Obesere are the people that I listened to while growing up and they formed my blend in music,” he said.
