The reloaded version of 9ice’s debut album Certificate was released 10 years ago today under Ibrahim Okulaja’s Edge Records – it was the official introduction of ‘Akoka’s Top Son’ to the rest of the country and marked a pivotal moment in a very lengthy and successful music career.

However, 9ice’s debut album wasn’t an instant success, the original version of the album was released in 2006 but re-released in 2007 as the singer’s profile grew.

Even though Certificate was re-released in 2007, it wasn’t until the monster hit “Gongo Aso” came out shortly afterwards that the promising singer rose to the cream of the crop of Nigerian music. 9ice – with the help of his remarkable penmanship and trademark growly voice – was initially known as a proficient hook man for others before he eventually made a name for himself by making big records for himself.

His second studio album Gongo Aso was released in 2008 at the height of his fame. That album is widely considered to be a classic and was one of the highest-selling releases in Alaba that year, according to some sources. Certificate never got that kind of recognition or success when it was released, but it did have an impact of its own.

Read more: http://filterfree.ng/celebrating-9ices-debut-album-certificate-10-years-plus/