'There Is No End' for Afrobeat Legend Tony Allen

Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who pioneered Afrobeat alongside his old band mate Fela Kuti, was working on a new project to showcase a new generation of stars when he died last year | AFP
Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who pioneered Afrobeat alongside his old band mate Fela Kuti, was working on a new project to showcase a new generation of stars when he died last year | AFP
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'There Is No End' for Afrobeat Legend Tony Allen

Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who pioneered Afrobeat alongside his old band mate Fela Kuti, was working on a new project to showcase a new generation of stars when he died last year | AFP
Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who pioneered Afrobeat alongside his old band mate Fela Kuti, was working on a new project to showcase a new generation of stars when he died last year | AFP

Legendary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who pioneered Afrobeat alongside his old band mate Fela Kuti, was knocking out rhythms right up until his death last year at the age of 79.

And as shown on a new album out this week, Allen never stopped pushing boundaries and promoting young talent.

At the time of his death in April 2020, he was deep into a new project that aimed to showcase a new generation of stars.

"Tony wanted to do a rap album, to feature some young rappers, boys and girls, but outside the norm," the new album's co-producer Vincent Taeger told AFP.

His friends and collaborators decided to complete the work he had started, resulting in "There Is No End", which is released on Friday.

"When he left us, it was very hard," Taeger said. "A month later, his record label and manager contacted me to say: 'You made a lot of progress, you should respect the wishes of the master and finish the album'."

Allen had already recorded the drum parts and some bass lines, and was exploring potential collaborations with up-and-coming artists.

"Tony always loved hip-hop. With Fela, there was already the groove, the party, the dancing that lasts all night, just like the early rap sound-system parties," Allen's manager Eric Trosset told AFP.

- 'A smuggler' -

Allen was one of the founding fathers of Afrobeat in the 1960s and 1970s as a drummer for Fela Kuti and musical director of his Africa '70 band.

They recorded around 40 albums together before parting ways after a 26-year collaboration.

Allen continued to reach new audiences, particularly through his work with Blur singer Damon Albarn and his groups Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad and the Queen.

For the new album, the only song that had been completed at the time of his death was "Cosmosis" featuring British rapper Skepta and poet Ben Okri, who are also of Nigerian origin.

But that represents just a small part of the eclectic mix of styles brought together posthumously by Taeger and another frequent collaborator, Vincent Taurelle.

"Rich Black" brings in the rhymes of US rapper Koreatown Oddity, while "Tres Magnifique" has nods to Tom Waits.

And it falls to young British star Lava La Rue to match the tempo set by Allen on "One Inna Million".

"We've managed to make an album that resembles Tony with some really great featured artists, not all of them very well known yet, that will give them a boost. Tony was always a smuggler in that way," said Taeger, who goes by the name Tiger Tigre for his own solo projects.

"At the start, I said, 'Damn, Tony isn't here, it's going to be very different. He obviously wanted to meet these rappers for the recordings in all four corners of the globe," he added.

"But he trusted me, he knew that I spoke the same language as him."

Even without Allen, the possibility of bringing the album to the stage has not been entirely ruled out, said Taeger, who is considering a crowdfunding campaign.

"I've thought about it. There are a lot of great drummers like Questlove (of The Roots), Anderson .Paak, who knew him. They could do a few concerts to show off Tony's style."



English Version of Animated Chinese Hit 'Ne Zha 2' Heading to Theaters

FILE PHOTO: Michelle Yeoh poses during the Oscars arrivals at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Michelle Yeoh poses during the Oscars arrivals at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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English Version of Animated Chinese Hit 'Ne Zha 2' Heading to Theaters

FILE PHOTO: Michelle Yeoh poses during the Oscars arrivals at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Michelle Yeoh poses during the Oscars arrivals at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

A24 and CMC Pictures are teaming up to bring an English-language version of the globally successful Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" to theaters in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on August 22, the companies said on Wednesday.

The animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" overtook Pixar's "Inside Out 2" in February to become the highest-grossing animated film globally, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.

"Ne Zha 2" amassed a total box office of 12.3 billion yuan ($1.71 billion) including pre-sales and overseas earnings, making it the eighth highest box office film worldwide, Reuters reported.

The English-language cast will include Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh. No other voice actors have been announced so far.

"I'm honored to be part of Ne Zha 2, a landmark in Chinese animation and a powerful reminder of how universal our stories can be," the Malaysian actor said in a statement.

The sequel film follows the first "Ne Zha" film from 2019 and is based on Chinese mythology.

The story follows Ne Zha, a rebellious young boy, who is feared by the gods and born to mortal parents with wild, uncontrolled powers.

He's faced with an ancient force intent on destroying humanity and must grow up to become the hero the world needs.

The film, which will be released in IMAX and 3D, was written and directed by filmmaker Yang Yu, who also developed the first movie. Over 99% of the mythological movie's box office income came from mainland China, starkly in contrast to Hollywood films, which typically rely on a more global distribution strategy.

"Ne Zha 2" is based on a 16th century Chinese novel "The Investiture of the Gods," depicting a hero boy with magic power who tried to defend Chentangguan, a fortress town.