Afrobeat did not arrive fully formed. It emerged slowly, shaped by years of rehearsals, late nights on bandstands, and long recordings where rhythm had to hold together sprawling arrangements. At the centre of that process were two figures whose working relationship defined the sound, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the bandleader, composer, and political force, and Tony Oladipo Allen, the drummer whose rhythmic approach gave Afrobeat its unmistakable motion.
Fela is remembered as the public face and guiding force of Afrobeat, the artist who fused music, politics, and performance into a movement. Yet the genre’s pulse, the layered groove that carries Afrobeat forward for minutes at a time, cannot be separated from Tony Allen’s drumming. Their connection was not a simple employer and employee arrangement. It was a sustained collaboration that shaped how Afrobeat was played, rehearsed, and experienced.
Where their connection began
Tony Allen and Fela Kuti met on the Lagos music circuit in the early 1960s, a period when highlife bands, jazz ensembles, and dance orchestras overlapped in clubs, hotels, and radio studios. Allen had developed an unconventional style by absorbing American jazz drumming while remaining grounded in West African rhythmic ideas. His playing stood apart from the strict timekeeping common in dance bands of the era.
In 1964, Fela invited Allen to audition for a band he was forming. That invitation placed Allen within the earliest phase of Fela’s evolving musical projects, moving through groups such as the Fela Ransome Kuti Quintet and Koola Lobitos. Afrobeat did not yet exist as a defined genre, but the groundwork was being laid through extended grooves, disciplined rehearsals, and an increasing focus on rhythm as the centre of the music.
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When the sound became Afrobeat
A turning point came at the end of the 1960s, when Fela’s musical direction sharpened and his performances grew longer, more confrontational, and more rhythmically demanding. The group that became Africa ’70 developed a sound that fused funk’s drive, jazz improvisation, highlife swing, and Yoruba rhythmic structures into something new.
During this period, Tony Allen played a central role in organising the rhythmic foundation of the band. While Fela remained the bandleader and final authority, Allen shaped how the groove functioned underneath the horns, guitars, percussion, and vocals. Afrobeat’s long compositions depended on a drum approach that could sustain momentum without becoming rigid, and that responsibility rested largely on Allen’s kit.
What Tony Allen did inside Fela’s band
Afrobeat relies on interlocking parts rather than a single dominant rhythm. Bass lines circle, guitars repeat and respond, percussion converses, horns punctuate, and vocals ride above it all. The drummer must hold the structure together while allowing space for movement and variation.
Tony Allen treated the drum kit as a collection of independent voices rather than a single instrument. Hi hat, snare, bass drum, cymbals, and accents each carried their own role, creating the impression of multiple rhythms operating at once. This approach allowed Afrobeat to stretch over long durations without losing tension or energy.
Fela often spoke publicly about Allen’s importance, famously remarking that Afrobeat would not exist without him. The statement reflected the reality that Allen’s drumming was structural rather than ornamental. The groove was not an accessory to the music. It was the framework that allowed everything else to function.
The Africa ’70 years and global impact
The late 1960s through the late 1970s marked the most productive era of the Fela and Tony Allen partnership. Under Africa ’70 and related line ups, the band recorded extensively and performed relentlessly. These years produced the recordings and performances that introduced Afrobeat to audiences far beyond Nigeria.
As Afrobeat gained recognition, discussions around authorship and influence became inevitable. Fela’s leadership as composer, frontman, and political figure remained central, while Tony Allen’s role as lead drummer and rhythmic organiser defined how the music felt and moved. Together, they shaped a sound that would influence generations of musicians across Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Why they split, pressure and limits
By the late 1970s, the intensity of life inside Fela’s band had become difficult to sustain. Internal tensions, financial disputes, and the physical and political pressures surrounding the group weighed heavily on its members. In 1978, Tony Allen left the band along with several other musicians.
Allen later described the decision as a necessary break from an exhausting situation. His departure marked the end of the most influential phase of the partnership and led to significant changes in Fela’s band structure, including the formation of Egypt ’80. The split did not erase what had been built. It marked the moment when a defining collaboration reached its limit.
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Life after the partnership
Tony Allen’s career continued well beyond his years with Fela. He recorded solo work, collaborated internationally, and became a reference point for drummers seeking to understand Afrobeat’s rhythmic depth. His playing remained instantly recognisable, built on the same principles he had refined during the Africa ’70 years.
Fela also continued to develop Afrobeat without Allen, adapting the music to new band line ups and new political realities. The genre survived because it had grown beyond any single relationship, but its sound inevitably shifted. What remained constant was the influence of the partnership that first defined it.
Their connection in one sentence
Fela and Tony Allen were bound by years of shared rehearsal, performance, and experimentation, with Fela shaping the vision and Allen designing the rhythmic engine that carried Afrobeat forward.
Author’s Note
Afrobeat’s story is ultimately about labour and belief, two musicians pushing sound beyond entertainment into endurance, with Fela transforming music into a political force and Tony Allen giving that force a pulse strong enough to last, their partnership proving how creation thrives on collaboration and how even the most powerful alliances eventually reach their limits.
References
The Guardian, Tony Allen, legendary drummer and Afrobeat co founder, dies aged 79
Fela Kuti Official Legacy Site, Collaborations, Tony Allen
Pitchfork, Where to Start With Afrobeat Pioneer Tony Allen, One of the Greatest Drummers EverAfropop Worldwide, Mind the Band, Tony Allen
