Before reggae, rock steady, or even ska, mento ruled Jamaica's musical consciousness. Originally a rural folk music, coalesced from African and European influences, mento took on a more modern tenor ...

KINGSTON Jamaica – For centuries, the voice of the Jamaican people has been amplified through its music, the foundation of which is mento. While the genre lost its sway by the 1950s, its legacy has ...

In Jamaican music’s immediate family, there are reggae, dancehall, ska, rocksteady, dub and mento and Nyabinghi. Close cousins? That would be hip-hop, reggaeton, EDM and Afrobeats. Learn about all the ...

Chris Nickson reviews the CD Mento Madness: Motta's Jamaican Mento 1951-56. The disc is a compilation of material from the Jamaican "MRS" label founded by Kingston business man Stanley Motta. The CD ...

Mento is the Jamaican dancehall music whose raw, joyous sound and distinctive rhythms eventually gave rise to popular styles like ska, rocksteady and reggae. Mento remains comparatively unknown ...

Dub music pioneer King Tubby; Pre-dub, pre-reggae Mento Madness; Joplin & The American Ragtime Ensemble; Solo work by Yes guitarist Steve Howe; The wobbly, oscillating sounds of for stars; Former ...

It originated on a small Carribean island and grew to become a global phenomenon recognised as a cultural institution by UNESCO, the story of reggae's success is closely entwined with the history of ...