Akande Abolore Adegbola Alexander Ajifolajifaola (born Abolore Adegbola Akande), better known as 9ice (pronounced nice; born 17 January 1980), is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

singer, songwriter and dancer. He is known for his powerful use of the Yoruba language in his music and his proverbial lyrics and unique style of delivery.

Early life

9ice was born into a

polygamous Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more than one h ...

home of five wives and nine children, in

Ogbomosho Ogbomosho (also known as Ogbomoso and Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́) is a city in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria. It was founded in the mid 17th century. The population was approximately 655,517 in 2024. It is the second largest city in Oyo State and a ...

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

in Western

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. He grew up in the Shomolu

Bariga Bariga is a district and suburb in Lagos State, Nigeria. It was formerly under Somolu Local government areas of Nigeria, local government area of Lagos State but in 2013 it was upgraded by the State government as a Local Council Development Area. ...

suburbs of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

. He dreamed of being a musician. His parents discovered his singing talent, and decided to allow him become a musician.

Career

In 1996, 9ice recorded his first demo, titled "Risi de Alagbaja", but it was not until 2000 that he released his first official solo song, "Little Money". In 2008, 9ice released the single "Gongo Aso". With the song gaining popularity, 9ice was asked to perform at the

Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute The Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute was held in Hyde Park, London on 27 June 2008 to commemorate Nelson Mandela's ninetieth birthday (18 July). The concert formed part of the 46664 concert series to promote awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandem ...

concert in London in June 2008. He went on to win the Best Hip Hop Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards. "Gongo Aso" won him four further awards at the 2009 edition of the Hip Hop World Awards held at the International Conference Centre,

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

: Album of the Year, Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rap in Pop Album. In 2020, 9ice released another album, ''Tip of the Iceberg: Episode 1''. After a short hiatus from the music scene, the Alapomeji Records boss, 9ice released the second episode of his album,
Tip of the Iceberg: Episode II
' He is the founder and CEO of Alapomeji Entertainment Limited and the record label Alapomeji Ancestral Record, which is managed by Mr Saliman Badmus DEJI.

Discography

*''Certificate'' (2007) *''Gongo Aso'' (2008) *''Tradition'' (2009) *''Certificate and Tradition Reloaded'' (2010) *'' Versus''/''Bashorun Gaa'' (2011) *''GRA/CNN'' (2014) *''Id Cabasa'' (2016) *''G.O.A.T'' (2018)/Classic 50 Songs (2019) *''Fear of God'' (2020) (2020) *''Tip of the Iceberg: Episode 1'' (2020) *''Tip of the Iceberg: Episode II'' (2022) *''Tip Of the iceberg III'' (2022) *''Lord Of Ajasa'' (2023) *''Observatory'' (2024)

Awards

*Nigeria Entertainment Awards Most Indigenous Act 2007 *MOBO Best African Act 2008 *MTV Africa Music Awards Best Hip Hop Artist 2008 *Dynamix Awards Artist of the Year 2008 *Hip Hop Awards Best Vocal Performance 2008 *Hip Awards Revelation of the Year 2008 *Hip Hop Awards Song of the Year 2009 *Hip Hop Awards Best R&B/Pop 2009 *Hip Hop Awards Album of the Year 2009 *Hip Hop Awards Artist of the Year 2009

References

External links