Veteran Nigerian singer Alexander Akande, also known as 9ice, revealed that in the early days of his career, he sounded similar to Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean.
He mentioned that he wasn’t the only Nigerian artist mimicking Wyclef’s style at the time, but he believed he did it better than others.
In a recent interview with SPS, 9ice shared that he eventually stopped imitating Wyclef after finding his own unique sound.
He highlighted that his music is a blend of influences from major artists like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, and Pasuma.
“My inspiration was Wyclef [Jean]. Early on, I sounded almost exactly like Wyclef. While there were others who tried to mimic him, people thought I did it better,” he explained.
“Eventually, I developed my own unique sound. Artists like Bob Marley, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, Pasuma, and Obesere were all influential in shaping my musical style as I grew up.”
