In A Long Way To The Beginning, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80aim to reshape Fela's politically-charged afrobeat for the modern ear. The group's highly-anticipated third studio album, co-produced by Robert Glasper, is a relentless 7-track excursion into horns, drums and call and response. Glasper's keyboard appears on several tracks, while additional collaborations arrive throughout the release from M-1 of Dead Prez ("IMF"), Nigerian songstressNneka ("Black Woman"), and Ghanaian/NY rapper Blitz the Ambassador ("African Smoke"). The album's combination of classic afrobeat sounds and contemporary social commentary is most apparent on lead single "IMF (International Mother Fucker)," a horn-flanked jab at the International Monetary Fund's intervention on Nigerian economic and oil policies. Watch the video for "IMF" below and scroll down to see the band's upcoming North American tour dates along with our own NYC contest. Grab a copy of A Long Way To The Beginning, available on iTunes now from Knitting Factory Records.

>>>Buy Seun Kuti & Egypt 80's 'A Long Way To The Beginning' LP via iTunes

>>>Stream 'A Long Way To The Beginning' via NPR

>>>Enter to win tickets to Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 Live in NYC w/ Rich Medina

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 2014 Tour Dates:

06/10/14 New York, NY Highline Ballroom

06/11/14 Washington DC Howard Theatre

06/13/14 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival

06/14/14 Black Mountain, NC Pisgah

06/17/14 San Diego, CA World Beat Center

06/19/14 San Francisco, CA SF Jazz Center

06/20/14 Boonville, CA Sierra Nevada World Fest

06/21/14 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst

06/22/14 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

06/28/14 Somerset, UK Glastonbury Festival

07/11/14 Quebec City, QC Festival d’ete International De Quebec

07/12/14 Toronto, ON Phoenix

07/13/14 Detroit, MI Concert of Colors

07/14/14 Chicago, IL Concord

07/15/14 Iowa City, IA Englert

07/16/14 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center

07/20/14 Vancouver, BC Vancouver Folk

07/21/14 Seattle, WA Neumos

07/22/14 Portland, OR Star Theatre

07/23/14 Boise, ID Knitting Factory

07/24/14 Missoula, MT Top Hat