Gorillaz & Skepta Pay Homage To Tony Allen On "How Far?"

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20224.5K Views

In tribute to the late jazz drummer Tony Allen, Gorillaz release their new single, "How Far" with Skepta.

The world of music faced another tragic death this week after it was announced that legendary Afropop drummer Tony Allen passed away. Allen was revolutionary in helping pioneer the Afrobeats sound, though his musical resume expanded into other genres. Allen and Gorillaz' Damon Albarn were also in the supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen together that dabbled into rock, reggae, and dub.

In tribute to Allen, Gorillaz released their new single, "How Far?" which features Tony Allen and Skepta. The song was recorded in recent times, prior to the global lockdown. "The track was written and recorded with Skepta in London just before lockdown and is being shared immediately as a tribute to the spirit of a great man, Tony Allen,” it reads in a press release.

Allen died this week after suffering a heart attack. He worked closely with Fela Kuti who said that "without Tony Allen, there would be no afrobeat".

Check out the track below. RIP Tony Allen.

Quotable Lyrics
More money, more problems and more ladies
Everyday somebody dies, still mothers give birth to more babies
The earth spins, the world gets more crazy
You got to have a suit for the Christening
A suit for the wedding and a suit for the court case
Probably wear the same suit to the funeral
Tryna see the bigger picture, man it's bigger than the portrait

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.