Veteran Nigerian singer 9ice, born Alexander Akande, has revealed that in the early days of his career, he heavily imitated the sound of Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. In a recent interview with SPS, the “Photocopy” singer confessed that he wasn’t the only Nigerian artist inspired by Wyclef at the time, but he believes he did it better than the rest.
9ice explained that he eventually moved away from mimicking Wyclef to discover his unique sound. He credits a mix of influences, including Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley, Ayinde Barrister, Kwan1, and Pasuma, for shaping his distinct musical style. “If anybody listened to me at the beginning, there was a time I was sounding like Wyclef 100 percent,” he said, adding that his evolution led him to create his original fusion of these influences.
