9ICE STEPS UP

That 9ice has joined the league of music industry millionaires is no longer news. The 28 year-old ethnic singer is making more money than he could ever have imagined.

And although he’s yet to but that Bentley he keeps talking about; although he’s yet to get that grammy he keeps fantasizing about; 9ice has come a long way from the struggling, talented wanna be who used money for his JAMB form to book his first session.

Today, with over a dozen cameo appearances, two solo albums and a pouch full of hit songs, 9ice is living the good life; and he’s loving it. With a new home- a palatial duplex- in Lagos, a new Volkswagen Touareg (with customized number plate ‘9ice’), and a weekly income that continues to soar, Abolore Akande is one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing singers, and one of the latest entrants into the millionaires’ club.

It’s uncertain what he’s worth right now, but the singer confessed to glitz beats that ‘God has been good’. Sitting comfortably in his new home, he talks passionately of his new projects: ‘we’re already rounding up plans to release the VCD. I’m also planning to give back to society through my NGO: ‘Be 9ice Foundation’, to help take kids of the streets.’

To reflect his new status, and a total image overhaul, the singer now spots a new hair-cut, with inscriptions that are changed on a regular basis. With customises T-shirts made by Nigerian designers (Toni Payne, Marko, etc), the singer is building for himself an identity that’ll register in everyone’s mind an image that’ll guarantee his street credibility.

9ICE is currently in London where he is scheduled to perform at the 90th birthday celebrations for Nelson Mandela.