Tony Allen

Tony Oladipo Allen (born July 20th, 1940, in Lagos, Nigeria, died April 30th, 2020 in Paris, France) was a Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter who lived and worked in Courbevoie, France. Tony Allen played drums for Fela Kuti's Africa 70 and Egypt 80 organizations, pioneering the unique beat and vibe of Afrobeat music which combines polyrhythmic influences of Africa with the breakbeats and extended jams of the American funk and R&B which reached Nigeria in the late 60s and early 70s. Afrobeat music has since re-influenced western dance music in fusion genres like broken beat and future jazz, as in the music of [a2889]. Tony Allen released solo afrobeat and psychedelic funk albums on his own and is notable for his contributions to the supergroup [a23289].