by Joe Vickrey
Photos By Kory Thibeault and Afrospot
Duke Amayo, the GRAMMY-nominated Afrobeat artist, illustrator, and senior master of martial arts beamed with joy as I sat down to speak with him. Immediately we were laughing, and his smile was as contagious as the grooves on his new record.
Duke’s solo debut, Lion Awakes, combines his rich African heritage with the legends and focus of his martial arts training. Following the tale of the Chinese Fu Lion who is cast down from guarding the sacred Forbidden City, the lion falls to Africa where he meets the Black Magic Sister who aids him in regaining his powers and returning to the heavens. It’s a portal into AMAYO’s world, and hearing him speak about his life and the characters behind the story brightened the already radiant colors of his music. His journey is awe-inspiring, and proves that art knows no boundaries.
Where did it all begin? Martial arts and music? Which came first for AMAYO? Growing up during the Nigerian Civil War, Duke said, “We were close to a lot of the chaos and my parents did what they had to do. My mom sent me off to live with my grandmother in Ghana at the tender age of nine.” He immediately fell in love with his grandmother’s neighborhood.
“There was organized drumming for the kids on the weekends, and organized fights once a month.”
The day he arrived in Ghana, there were both. “I want this neighborhood here! You guys go out there and show who you are!” He described it as being thrown in the Lion’s Den, but in a positive way.
Continuing about his time in Ghana, he said, “I was one of those very sickly kids, you know. I was always sick, but my grandmother figured it out." I couldn’t help but laugh at the image because AMAYO is who I consider to be the epitome of mental and physical strength. With great pride he mentioned how she balanced being a traditional medicine woman while being very vocal in their local church. “I got involved [in the church], and I began to play a 1-string upright bass with the band.” He then mouthed the type of grooves he would play which was not only endearing, but also kind of a bop. We both laughed and he continued, “We would do that for hours.”
Duke’s grandmother helped set him on his path for both music and martial arts simultaneously. Her care for her grandson has lived on and is immortalized in the album’s opening track, “Black Magic Sister,” which is both inspired by and dedicated to her.
As a teenager, Duke’s focus began to shift. He wanted to go to college in the US. Speaking on the process for a young person in Nigeria in the 80s to apply to college, Duke said, “How many kids can have envelopes, and have access to copy machine and do all this stuff and package it and send it to universities in America?”
It was something I hadn’t previously considered – the enormous obstacles he had to overcome just to find where to apply before the internet existed.
He continued, “I happened to be working in a bank, and the bank that I worked in, I had access to all this stuff. It worked out.”
He sent a portfolio of illustrations to a number of colleges he had looked up, and after being accepted for a Medical Illustrations program, he found himself at long last in the United States. While his scholarships were tied to sports, his attention was still very much on art. He quickly learned of the American divide between sports and art.
“There was that whole macho mentality. You know, like in the 70s and 80s. They didn't appreciate that. The two didn't appreciate each other.”
It helped inspire his thesis statement, “Art knows no boundaries.” Duke spoke with passion: “It became my mission.” After college, he wanted to be involved in all forms of art. From fashion to graphic design, he did it all – and it brought him back to music. Right around 2000, Duke helped form Antibalas. He fronted the group that would go on to become New York’s premier Afrobeat group. Fast forward twenty years, and the group received a GRAMMY nomination for 2020’s Fu Chronicles.
As a fan, I felt like they were on top of the world; yet shortly after his GRAMMY nomination, Duke’s family moved out of New York, and he departed from Antibalas. Now in a position to pose the question I had for the last five years, I asked if leaving Antibalas was a difficult decision for him. He responded, “It wasn’t a difficult decision. It was a difficult time.” He began to explain how the housing market was no longer sustainable in New York. He and his partner had also been wanting to find somewhere more suitable for raising their children, and once again the universe seemed to direct them on their journey.
As the stars were aligning, the Daptone Records team had been building Diamond West Studio out in LA around the time that AMAYO had been quietly working on his solo album. Occasional clips from their social media featuring percussion had me wondering: could it be AMAYO? They never showed who was playing, but you better believe I rewatched their Instagram stories snooping for clues. Now face to face, I finally confirmed that not only did AMAYO record Lion Awakes at Diamond West, but they were the FIRST group to record at the studio. My detective work gave him a good laugh, and he was brimming with excitement as he spoke about the experience. “They were just in the middle of construction"
"As history would have it, I tend to be the band that always comes in and test out the walls… See where the sound is leaking out.”
He continued, “I was very honored, you know, and fortunate to have that chance to be the one of the first ones to help officially open the studio.” He also mentioned that while they were recording, someone would be in and out of the studio hanging more soundproofing. The power and tenacity of AMAYO’s music can’t be contained in any four walls, so I’d agree that he’s the perfect one to give any studio an endurance test.
When asked how he composed these incredible multi-movement pieces for Lion Awakes, AMAYO responded, “The way I compose my music, the way I write all my songs, comes out of my Kung Fu practice.” It was a beautiful full circle moment for me to recognize that AMAYO’s whole life has led up to and been included in this album.
“That’s what martial arts is for me. It’s about navigating your way through life.”
His music and his practices are a natural extension of himself. The way he moves, the energy he puts out into the world, and his music are all a culmination of who he is.
For most listeners, the journey of Lion Awakes may feel like an exotic and exciting sonic adventure that combines the mysticism, legends, and heritage of African and Asian cultures, but for AMAYO, it is an outward expression of all that he is. Accomplishing exactly what he set out to do so many years ago, Duke Amayo is living proof that art has no boundaries.
For our full review of AMAYO’s debut album, Lion Awakes, click here. Amayo debuts his new music at the Brooklyn Bowl on January 29. The new album is available to stream here.