9ice: My step-mum inspired use of Yoruba proverbs in my music

Akande ‘9ice’ Abolore, the Nigerian singer, has clarified misconceptions surrounding his songs’ frequent use of Yoruba proverbs.

In a chat with the content creator Bae U, the ‘Gongo Aso’ hitmaker said his late stepmother heavily influenced his use of Yoruba proverbs in his music.

“I am not an herbalist. I am a Yoruba man from Oyo state, and I learnt all the proverbs from my late stepmum. While trying to create songs, I decided to use all those,” he said.

With a career spanning over a decade, 9ice is renowned for hits like ‘Street Credibility’, ‘No Be Mistake’, and ‘Living Things’.

The indigenous singer broke into the limelight with the ‘Gongo Aso’ album in 2008 and won the best hip hop artist of the year category at the year’s MTV Africa Music Awards.

The project also won him four categories at the 2009 edition of the Hip Hop World Awards. He won the album of the year, artiste of the year, song of the year, and the best rap in pop album categories.

He is the founder of Alapomeji Ancestral Records.

In February 2020, 9ice said he never signed any artiste to his record label because of the disagreements that come with record deals.