The Afrobeat legend Tony Allen died in the spring of 2020 at the age of 79. The year prior, the iconic drummer wrote and produced all of the beats for a newly announced album: There Is No End is out on April 30, the anniversary of Allen’s death, via Blue Note.
There Is No End was produced by Allen, Vincent Taeger, and Vincent Taurelle. The 14-track LP features guest vocals from Danny Brown, Sampa the Great, Lava La Rue, and more. Today, Blue Note has released lead single “Cosmosis” (featuring Skepta and Ben Okiri), which is co-produced by Allen, Damon Albarn, and Remi Kabaka. Okri’s lyrics were written in tribute to Allen. Listen to the song below and scroll down for the album art and tracklist.
In a press release, Vincent Taeger said that Allen “was a teacher without speaking… a drummer and a guardian, with a great artistic vision and that vision filled the songs even after he had left us.”
Ben Okri added:
Roughly one month before his death, Allen released Rejoice, his collaborative album with Hugh Masekela. A month after Allen’s death, Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz shared the Allen collaboration “How Far?,” also featuring Skepta.
Read “Where to Start With Afrobeat Pioneer Tony Allen, One of the Greatest Drummers Ever” on the Pitch.
There Is No End:
01 Tony’s Praeludium
02 Stumbling Down [ft. Sampa the Great]
03 Crushed Grapes [ft. Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon]
04 Très Magnifique [ft. Tsunami]
05 Mau Mau [ft. Mah Eeto]
06 Coonta Kinte [ft. ZeeloperZ]
07 Rich Black [ft. The Koreatown Oddity]
08 One Inna Million [ft. Lava La Rue]
09 Gang on Holiday (Em I Go We?) [ft. Jeremiah Jae]
10 Deer in Headlights [ft. Danny Brown]
11 Hurt Your Soul [ft. Nate Bone]
12 My Own [ft. Marlowe]
13 Cosmosis [ft. Ben Okri and Skepta]
14 There’s No End
