 Considered “the future of reggae music”, Senegalese singer Meta Dia and his international band The Cornerstones fuse Jamaican roots with afro-pop, hip-hop, rock and soul in a way Bob Marley would be proud of.
Their music is warm and embodying, immensely addictive, and destined to forever change the dynamics of reggae music. Meta sings his passionate lyrics in English, French, Wolof and Fulani. Born in Senegal, West Africa, lead singer of Meta and The Cornerstones, discovered his love for music and desire to be a musician at a very young age. Listening to reggae greats Bob Marley and Gregory Isaacs helped nurture his admiration and true appreciation for all types of music. As a self-taught musician, by age 14 he was performing on the street and stages of his hometown Dakar, Senegal. In 2000, Meta formed his first band Yalla Suuren (God Bless), which was nominated for Best Hip-Hop/Reggae Group by the French Cultural Center the same year. Within two years, Meta had become one of the premier pioneering voices of the hip-hop culture in West Africa. After relocating to the United States, where he formed Meta and The Cornerstones. With varying ethnicity, religion, and musical influences, Meta & The Cornerstones’ sound is a melting pot rooted in diversity, strength, and unity. International group of musicians combine their creative differences from Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and America, which are clearly expressed in the repertoire of the band’s music. Inspired by Alpha Blondy and Lucky Dubee, they have shared the stage with Reggae stars Luciano, Steel Pulse, Clinton Fearon, Israel Vibration, and Tanya Stephens amongst others. In 2007, the band was personally invited by Senegalese-born international superstar, Youssou N’Dour to perform at his annual African Ball concert at the Nokia Theater in New York. The following year Meta and The Cornerstones proudly released its first album entitled “Forward Music”. Now Meta is the first African artist signed to the iconic record label VP Records. They released their second album “Ancient Power” in April 2013. Recorded at Marley’s Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston and produced by Sidney Mills from Steel Pulse, it links Africa to Jamaica by paying tribute to the ageless sounds of reggae. Highly acclaimed album features U-Roy, Capleton and Damian Marley.
Their show in Ostroda will be the first Polish performance and the festival's return to African sounds of reggae, already presented in the past.
Links:
Video:
"Cornerstone" clip (2010)
"Somewhere in Africa" clip
live Afro-Latino Festival 2013
"Without Heart" clip
"My Beloved Africa" feat. Damian Marley
Daylight (No Doubt Riddim) by Dub Inc., clip
"Somewhere in Africa" remix feat. Peetah of Morgan Heritage, clip
"Silence of the Moon" clip
live Afro-Pfingsten Festival 2013, full show
"Zion Stereo" clip
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