Nigerian artist 9ice, claims that he previously suffered from an unexplained ailment that caused him to throw up blood for six months. The Gongo Aso hitmaker talked about a spiritual attack that almost took his life in 2009 and 2010 during an interview with The Nancy Isime Show’s most recent edition.
The musician claims that his condition refused to go away despite medical intervention and finally did so when he adopted Ifa, a traditional Yoruba spiritual system.
According to 9ice, the event marked a change in his life and inspired him to adopt traditional African mysticism. He went on to say that he is now an Ifa priest, or babaláwo.
“When I was vomiting blood for about six months in my own house. I had to leave my house. It happened in 2009/2010. It was not a medical condition,” he said.
“I am not a Christian or a Muslim, I am a Babalawo. I am an African. I am a traditionalist. The first time I experienced ifa was when I was vomiting blood. Someone referred me to ifa. I just wished that I had known ifa at the beginning.”
He cited the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti as an example of someone who was ahead of his time in adopting customs in spite of criticism.
“People used to make fun of Fela when he went to Ogun, but now I understand,” he continued.
The artist also alluded to the fact that over his career, he has faced several spiritual challenges. After his single Gongo Aso was released in 2008, 9ice became extremely famous.
At the 2009 Hip Hop World Awards, he won four prizes for the project, including Artiste of the Year and Album of the Year. The Alapomeji Ancestral Records was founded by him.
