My journey with Amzee Prince du Sud started with a research trip to Senegal in 2022. Amzee and his friends were singing on the river bank near my hotel. Fortunately, I had my guitar (due to the advice of an old drum teacher) and asked if I could jam with them. I was still new to guitar and had no idea about Senegalese music or mbalax, but it was clear I was already part of the Amzee Family.
Amzee Prince du Sud is the stage name for Amadou Diop, a 24-year-old singer from Casamance, Senegal. Amzee’s parents came from the north of Senegal in the Fouta region. His father came to Ziguinchor to work and founded his family before he died at the age of 40. Amzee was born and grew up in Ziguinchor and learned the traditional songs of Casamance in Wolof, French, and Creole. Amzee has a passion for music and wants to share his music and culture with the world.
Amzee’s premier project is called Cowboys in Dakar and is a collaboration between Amzee Prince du Sud and Big Mantis. The album has five tracks which were recorded in Dakar at Studio La Boutique and Soubatel in June 2024. The ideas for the songs were developed by exchanging voice memos with song ideas via Whatsapp. Big Mantis then produced music and set the stage for in-studio recording. Aside from Amzee and his friends Younousse “Zaza” Sagna (percussion and backup vocals), manager Thierno “Takof” Aw and Mohamet Cissokho (kora and sabar), the album features some of the best Senegalese musicians including: Abdoulaye Lo (drummer for Youssou Ndour and Le Super Etoile de Dakar), Etu Dieng (legendary bassist), and production from Pape Armand Boye.
Track List:
1. Thank You Allah
2. Bay Bay
3. Thank you Mama (Single)
4. Sénégal Deumb
5. Toblerone Tuck (Afrobeat) (Single)
This album is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. One of the goals of Amzee's collaboration with Big Mantis and Us Against When is to expose the music of Casamance to international audiences. Zaza explains the motivation of Amzee: “We have lived with our family for a very long time in Casamance. Music has always been our passion and we have always lived together in the same neighborhood. From day to night, we only make music. When the three of us walk into a room, Takof, the manager, gives us an instrumental beat and we jam to it. The more we do it, the more in love we are with music. What pushes us more and more to make music is because in Ziguinchor, there has never been an international artist who makes "mbalax” (the local musical style). This really motivates us to raise the Casamance flag all over the world and we are ready for that. Being a young person in Ziguinchor is very difficult. Finding someone who can help you realize your projects, especially if you do art… it's complicated. Our project is to help all young people who want to make art. With the three of us everything is possible.”
Since the first meeting with Amzee in 2022, he has been steadily gaining traction in Senegal as one of the top up-and-coming mbalax artists. Amzee represented Casamance at the Oscar des Talents competition held at the Grand Théâtre National de Dakar, which showcased rising musical talents across the country. He was a winner. Last year (2025), he was a semi-finalist in the Orange Music Talent competition, hosted by the largest telecom company in Senegal. Watch his semi-finals performance below.
This year, Us Against When is excited to be alongside Amzee as he starts his career and shares his story with the world. Over the next months, we will be dropping exclusive Amzee Prince du Sud merch as part of our Prince du Sud Collection. The proceeds from this collection will directly fund the musical collaboration between Amzee and Big Mantis, including additional recording and studio time, travel, and (most importantly) a physical pressing of Cowboys in Dakar. Check out the shop, order some merch, and join the Amzee Family!
- Keil Eggers
- Founder, Us Against When
- San Diego, CA
Be a part of Amzee’s story! Follow him here:
TikTok @amzee38
YouTube: @amzeelofficiel4088
Instagram: @amzeelofficiel
Stay up to date with more dope music from Big Mantis here:
Instagram @mantis_maximus