The musician is famous for a good number of tracks he released back in his heydays. One of these tracks is Gongo Aso, which earned him the 2008 MOBO Best African Act award. Though he is no longer active in the music industry as he used to be, 9ice, to many people, will always be seen as one of the best artists to have come out of the Nigerian music industry.
9ice Earned the Bulk of His $1.7 Million Net Worth Through His Music Career
Like many successful Nigerian musicians today, the story of how 9ice got into music is not far from what is typical in the industry. In 1994, as a 14-year-old (born on 17th January 1980), his parents discovered that he had a talent for singing. Rather than discourage him, as it was typical in many Nigerian families, they egged him on, and that was how the star we know today came to be.
9ice recorded his first demo song, Risi de Alagbaja, in 1996. Four years later, he also recorded and released his first official solo single, Little Money. Almost a decade after, he released the party banger Gongo Aso which, even after more than 10 years, the song still celebrates the music star as one of his best works.
The success of Gongo Aso didn’t go down without earning the musician some deserving awards and even recognitions. 9ice was in June 2008 opportune to perform at the 90th birthday tribute concert of Nelson Mandela in London, United Kingdom. Later that same year, he won an award at the MTV Africa Music Awards as Best Hip Hop Artist of the Year. Still basking in Gongo Aso’s fame, 9ice won Artiste of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and the Best Rap in Pop Album at the Hip Hop World Awards 2009.
With 11 albums to his credit and well over 14 awards from various reputable music organizations, it can be said that 9ice earned the bulk of his net worth from music. However, apart from his albums and single sales, performances in shows, and perhaps investments in money-making ventures, the Gongo Aso crooner is known to have a good number of endorsement deals with various businesses.
The Music Star Also Earns from His Record Label
9ice is the owner of Alapomeji Ancestral Records, now known as Ancestors. He founded the music label in 2008. Under this label, he has released some of his later music albums and singles like Tip of The Iceberg: Episode 1 (2020) and Fear of God (2020). The label had the likes of upcoming musicians like Wise, Seriki Omo-Owo, and Kayefi under it, but they reportedly left due to a lack of support for their careers.
He Has Signed Lucrative Endorsement Deals with Top Brands
With 9ice fame and career success came the opportunity for businesses to leverage his popularity to promote their brands, products, and services. Some of the brands he has endorsed include the following:
Smart Cab Nigeria
When car-hailing company Smart ride launched in Nigeria in 2016, they wasted no time signing 9ice as their brand ambassador in a deal reported to be mouth-watering for the musician. The company, owned jointly by a Nigerian and Indian partner of Uniquesmart Cab Technologies Limited, gave the musician his first endorsement deal. It marked the first of many to come in his career. While the exact amount 9ice made from this deal is unknown, we know it contributes significantly to his net worth.
Soccer Jackpot
Shortly after dropping his 2016 single Olorunsogo, 9ice signed an endorsement deal with football betting company Soccer Jackpot. In his statement, the musician said football lovers could turn their passion for football into gold with the betting company.
McBuddy Properties Ltd
On January 2nd, 2019, 9ice was announced on the corporate website of McBuddy Properties Ltd. as the real estate brand ambassador. According to the CEO/MD of the company Mr. Abraham Budale, their choice of 9ice as their new brand ambassador created a synergy between their products and indigenous brands in the entertainment industry. Through their partnership, the firm believes they can make the dreams of Nigerians who want to be landowners come true. Once again, the 9ice hasn’t revealed his earnings from this deal, but we believe it fetched him millions of Naira.
A Look At 9ice’s Most Famous Song to Date
9ice mostly uses the Yoruba language in his songs and sometimes blends other indigenous Nigerian languages to spice up his lyrics. His career boasts of a long list of songs he wrote and sang with a mix of these languages. However, some songs stand out as the best of all his works, and in this category, his 2008 party hit Gongo Aso can be said to be his most famous song.
Gongo Aso is one of the songs in the musician’s 2008 album of the same name. The album contains 14 songs, some of which are Party Rider, Pamurogo, Street Credibility (featuring 2face), etc.
The song was a fan favorite back in the days, and hardly will you be in any Nigerian party without hearing the song been played. In fact, it was used to open the dance floor in most gatherings. Gongo Aso has better lyrical quality and tune to some of his fans than some of the current hip-hop songs in Nigeria today.
How Active is His Music Career Right Now?
In a music career that has spanned over 2 decades (starting from the year 2000), 9ice has possibly seen the best of the Nigerian music industry in his heydays. There was a time he made headlines week in, week out for good reasons as his career was burgeoning, but now, the same cannot be said of the MOBO award recipient.
Though he has released albums in the past couple of years (Fear of God and Tip of The Iceberg: Episode 1 both in 2020), the albums have been moderately successful compared to the likes of Gongo Aso and Id Cabasa (2016). It can be inferred that the celebrated musician is pursuing other career/life interests, one of which is his political ambition.
In 2015, Alexander Abolore Adegbola Akande, aka 9ice, contested in the All Progressive Congress primaries as House of Representatives member for Ogbomoso North Constituency, Oyo State National Assembly. He, however, lost but was later appointed a special adviser to the state governor Abiola Ajimobi. He served with the governor, and following the end of their tenure in power, 9ice moved on to other things.