Nigeria's Fela Kuti was one of the leading ambassadors of African music, bringing his Afrobeat sound to fans around the world. Though he passed away in 1997, his influence continues to resonate, ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Listen 9:13 Afrobeat pioneer Tony ...

Tony Allen breaks down the five major drum patterns of Afrobeat in an unreleased clip from the recent documentary short Birth of Afrobeat. Production team Rest In Beats and director Opiyo Okeyo ...

According to Grammy-nominated Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti, legendary drummer Tony Allen wasn't involved in creating the sound with his late father and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti. In a recent ...

Few drummers have played such a key role in creating a musical genre and style as Tony Allen. The Nigerian drummer, who died of an aneurysm aged 79 in Paris, where he lived, was the percussive genius ...

Tony Oladipo Allen (born in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian drummer, composer and songwriter who currently lives and works in Paris. His career and life story have been documented in his 2013 ...

It is getting near midnight on a Friday evening in the Nigerian capital in the late 1970s. Young Lagosians are trekking from Oju Elegba, at the heart of the city’s night club scene, towards the old ...

With the Nigerian bandleader Fela and later on his own, he merged West African styles with American jazz and funk, reaching listeners worldwide. By Jon Pareles Tony Allen, the drummer who created the ...

Governor Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that his administration would be reviving the erstwhile drum festival by hosting the first Afro Beat Drum festival in Africa in Ogun State, as a way of ensuring and ...

Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, listening to jazz drummers like Gene Krupa and Art Blakey. He started playing the drums at 18, but several months later, he announced to his ...