Best of The Beat on Afropop: Who Put the Beat in Afrobeat?: Tony Allen's 1984 Interview

<p>Master drummer Tony Allen spent 14 years with Fela Kuti, from 1965-79, during which they crafted the signature sound of Afrobeat. Quite an achievement when there were two very strong, vociferous personalities at the helm. </p> <p>I met Tony during my first trip to London in 1984, five years after his split with Fela, and was thrilled to have him grant an interview for then-nascent <em>The Beat</em> magazine. He had split off from Fela’s group in 1979 and was continuing to set his path for his solo career. He had just released a solo album, <em>N.E.P.A. (Never Expect Power Always)</em>. </p> <p>We spoke about a wide range of topics&mdash;his early days in London and Los Angeles with Fela and their acrimonious split; how James Brown and Fela influenced each other; Afrobeat’s influence on Sunny Ade’s juju style and Allen's contribution to “Oremi;" his stint with the highlife band Victor Olaiya and the Cool Cats; Sandra Isidore’s early involvement with the group.</p> <div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5UzIGdFZOgU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div> <p><strong><a href="" target="_blank">READ OR DOWNLOAD THE FULL ARTICLE AS PDF HERE</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/25929/the-beat-goes-on-intro/" target="_blank">ABOUT “BEST OF THE BEAT ON AFROPOP</a></strong><br> </p>