afrobeat
-
Fela Kuti Drummer and 'Father of Afrobeat' Tony Allen Dead at 79
Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, lovingly known as the “Father of Afrobeat” died on Thursday evening at the age of 79, Rolling Stone confirms. Allen died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris. “He was in great shape,” Allen’s manager Eric Trosser told France 24. “It was quite sudden.” Rolling…
-
East Coast, West Coast, Worldwide: Akon’s Business Ventures Are Legend, but His New Music Enterprise Is One of His Most Boundary Breaking Yet
The instant Akon joined me at The Root’s office in a skyscraper overlooking Times Square, he seemed at ease. With his publicist in tow, he strolled in, falling headfirst into a conversation we were having about the huge buzz around upcoming events in Accra, Ghana in December (AfroNation and Afrochella); a pilgrimage so massive, hotels…
-
'Life Is a Carnival': The World According to Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo is an African icon. A musical masterclass. A woman of the world. She speaks and sings in five languages—no, six, if you count her recent foray into the native Spanish of the late Celia Cruz for her 17th album, released in April and simply titled Celia. Kidjo’s Wikipedia page alone is a dizzying…
-
Fela Kuti Is the Artist Who Brought My Musical Journey Home
One of my biggest regrets in life is how late I discovered so much music that became immediately influential to me. While I grew up in a house where music was constantly present, there were various artists that my parents didn’t know, didn’t show or just didn’t care about. What that means is that many…
-
The Glow Up Anthem of the Week: The Internet Wants You to ‘Come Over’
It’s June, and you know what that means? It’s Black Music Month, y’all! The other day, I buzzed in on a friend who was feeling high on some new music. Needing a little pick-me-up of my own, I asked whom I should be listening to, and she let me in on some new, very-grown-folks’ music…