Music Discovery
AFROBEAT
Afrobeat was invented by Fela Kuti and Tony Allen in Lagos in the late 1960s — jazz harmonics, funk rhythms, and West African percussion combined into hypnotic 20-minute compositions. Tony Allen's drumming is among the most sampled in contemporary music. These records are the root of the global Afrobeats movement.
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Discover AfrobeatFrequently Asked
What is afrobeat (not afrobeats)?▾
Afrobeat (one word, no "s") is the specific musical genre created by Fela Kuti and drummer Tony Allen in Lagos, Nigeria in the late 1960s. It combines jazz, funk, and West African highlife with political commentary. Afrobeats (with "s") is a contemporary West African pop genre from the 2010s onwards — a related but distinct genre. Producers reference both, but Fela Kuti recordings are the primary sample source.
What afrobeat records are most sampled?▾
Fela Kuti's recordings on Knitting Factory (licensed reissues) and original Nigerian pressings on Decca West Africa and Phonodisk are the most referenced. Tony Allen's solo recordings (Jealousy, No Discrimination) and collaborations are widely sampled for their polyrhythmic drum patterns. The Lijadu Sisters and other contemporaries on Nigerian labels are less sampled and potentially more useful for finding original material.
How does afrobeat influence contemporary production?▾
Tony Allen's drumming — interlocking polyrhythmic patterns that create a sense of forward motion without a clear downbeat — is deeply influential in contemporary electronic, jazz, and hip hop production. The jazz harmonic language laid over funk rhythms also provides chord progressions and horn arrangements that sample well into contemporary production contexts.