Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 return with the highly-anticipated release of their brand new LP A Long Way To The Beginning, featuring contributions from Blitz The Ambassador, dead prez, Robert Glasper and Nneka. The project – a mix of biting social commentary and solid funk – is a collection of tracks that pushes the evolution of the afrobeat sound founded by Seun’s father Fela. The full project follows the release of the project trailer and the bold statement of an official video for Seun’s single “IMF.” NPR Music, broke down the finer points of the project alongside a debut stream of the LP in a recent First Listen piece featuring commentary from Seun. Read below, then hit the link below to stream the project via NPR and purchase the A Long Way To The Beginning LP , and then scroll down to take a look at Seun & band’s upcoming tour dates. “Seun Kuti is at his strongest when he’s updating both Fela’s philosophies and the Afrobeat sound. It would be so easy for Seun — and Femi, for that matter — to do little more than tour the world as a tribute act. But instead, Seun Kuti brings in smart collaborators. Pianist and composer Robert Glasper produced A Long Way to the Beginning with him; Glasper also appears in several tracks as keyboardist. Dead Prez’s M1, who has made something of a secondary career as a guest artist on international artists’ politically charged tracks, contributes a verse to “IMF.” Ghanaian-American rapper Blitz the Ambassador opens “African Smoke,” and German-Nigerian singer Nneka brings soulful vocals to the laid-back closing track, “Black Woman.” But just as in Fela’s music, there remains ample room for joy, humor and exuberance amid the darkness and fury; the sweat, funk and beat dictate that right from the start. These tracks are for dancing — if you’re not moving, something may well be wrong. 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