I have neither friends nor enemies

 

 

Abolore Akande, otherwise known as 9ice, needs no introduction. The Gongo Aso crooner in this interview with KAZEEM POPOOLA spoke about his career, life, new double album and other matters. Excerpts:
Why did you decide to release a double album? It is because I missed a year that I didn’t release an album. So we try to make up for that year and to meet up with the demand of my fans. I titled one Versus, because I did all the songs on that CD with various artistes. I did that in order to bridge the gap between pirated CD and the original mixed tape. Versus is more like a mixed tape but an album on its own because I went all out to do songs with the likes of P- Square, Wande Coal, M.I, Wiz Kid, Tiwa Savage among others. Basically, my fans had wanted me to have a collabo with them and instead of buying pirated CD, they will be opportune to get the original CD which I featured lot of other popular artistes.

Why did you skip a year without an album?
My last album, Tradition, took some time before it could be accepted, so we had to allow it reach its commercial success before dropping another one.
How many tracks do you have all together in the two albums?
I have 35 tracks.
Most music lovers are finding it difficult to brand your kind of music. How can one classify it?I would say my music is a fusion of words because it has elements of other brands of music in it. You can feel Fuji, Afro Beat, R’ n’ B, Hip- hop, Awurebe and a host of other genres of music.

Is there any possibility of your switching to other styles of music soon?
I cannot change my style for now because I have been able to gather a lot of fans who actually like my kind of music. Any plan to change the trend will cause catastrophe. I think I may have to maintain my style, though, I will keep blending with Afro beats, Fuji, Juju, Hip-hop and other types of music, so that it won’t be boring to people.
How did you come about the name 9ice?
The name was given to me while I was studying computer in my school days. I was in charge of the practical room where the students outnumbered the computer units available. So I would allow the students to come on Saturdays and Sundays to do their assignments. Whenever they came, they would offer me money but I would not collect, and they were always like “This guy is nice o”, as a result of that, they started calling me 9ice.

There are always pains behind fame, how have you been coping?
Irrespective of one’s status, there are always pains, and I think that is the price we have to pay for who we are. It’s for us to understand and appreciate life itself. Life can be beautiful and terrible as it is, that’s why we have the sky and earth; day and night.
You are very deep in the use of Yoruba proverbs in your lyrics. How do you come about those proverbs?
My step-mum taught me all the idioms and proverbs; she’s in her late 80s now. Her words always come in proverbs and many times, her sentence is never complete without proverbs. So those things stuck in me but I wasn’t making use of then until I decided to be creative and do something new. I then dug out the proverbs already inside of me, made use of them in my songs, and fortunately for me, people are in love with my style.
What’s the idea behind your new appellation, Bashorun Gaa?
I’m saying that I’m a warlord in the music industry, whether I’m good or terrible in the eyes of people, I will still be there because I’m the warlord! Without me, the industry would not go round because I have a stake and hold in it. That’s the idea behind Bashorun Gaa.
As a celebrity, how do you handle punches from the media?I think I’m one of the artistes, who people don’t really know very well. People say I’m a snub, terrible or bad boy. But I know when people get to know me; they will understand my kind of person. I’m the only artiste, who is the least affected by bad press because when you quest for fame then you should be prepared for the prices to be paid. Everybody has their own time to be thrashed in the media, 2face, D’Banj, among others have had their own taste of bad press, and if it’s my time to be thrashed, so be it. I am sure it’s the same people that will write good things about me tomorrow.
There was a rumour then that you went physical with a journalist. Why?
Not at all, even those who might have written or said something negative about me are always shocked whenever I greet them. The truth is that whether you like it or not, they are doing their job. How would you describe your kind of person? I’m calm, simple, principled and quiet.
What inspires your kind of music?My experience in life and environment.
Going by the way you sound, you must have seen the good and bad sides of life. Can you share one of your experiences in life?
There was a time that I sat for JAMB and scored 198 but couldn’t print it out immediately. Surprisingly, when I got back three weeks after to check, the score had reduced to 88. That caused a setback for me because I was very desperate to be admitted into the university. I had to resit the examination the following year.

What about the most precious moment in your life?
That was when I released Gongo Aso, although, Certificate, which was my debut album, was used to announce my arrival in the music scene. But when Gongo Aso became a hit that was when I could say I’m a musician because everybody loves it. That was one of the happiest moments in my life.
You must have stepped on toes and vice versa, who are your friends and foes?I neither have friends nor enemies; we are all business minded people. That is the way things are in the music industry, because you may need those who you call your enemy tomorrow. They are your partners whether in progress or in regression, they will be with you.
What do you want to be remembered for?I want to be remembered as an artiste who said “language can never be a barrier in music; you can use any language to cut across to different kinds of people and make an impact”.

It is said that your double CD sold two million copies the first week they were released, how far is that true?
The CD sold two million copies in the first two days of release and 8.5million in eight days. Now we are yet to get the exact figure from Tjoe, but just two months in the market, the album is doing just fine.
Are you now saying that Bashorun Gaa has beaten the record of Gongo Aso?When we released Gongo Aso, Afro Best, the marketer, didn’t tell us the exact number of CDs sold, but Gongo Aso is being played in Kenya, South Africa among other African counties. Now we can see how many copies have been sold and even for Tradition we could also monitor the sales but for Gongo Aso nobody gave us any data at all.
Had music been your childhood ambition?
Music has always been part of me but not what I wanted to do professionally. I actually wanted to be a lawyer and I’m still on it. I’m in school now. When I was at the Lagos State University (LASU) studying Law, I was wearing dread-locks kind of hair style and lecturers were always on my case telling me to cut the hair if I wanted to be a lawyer. I eventually cut the dread-locks but I was unable to pay my school fees, so I dropped out. That was the reason I left school.

Won’t your being back in school affect your music?No, I’m doing an online programme.
Is it just to have the certificate or you actually want to practise?
I will definitely practise; I may be doing entertainment law