Tony Allen

The drummer and unofficial music director of the late Fela Kuti's band Africa 70 from 1968 until 1979, Tony Allen was a co-creator of Afrobeat and the progenitor of Afro-funk. As a solo artist, Allen incorporated pop, jazz, folk, soul, makossa, hip-hop, highlife, R&B, and dub into his own music and collaborated with hundreds of musicians from both Eastern and Western traditions. Allen released more than 30 albums during his time with Kuti, then began issuing his own dates leading the Afro Messengers with 1979's No Discrimination. 1985's Never Expect Power Always (aka N.E.P.A.)...