Mento

Mento can be seen as a precursor of some of the movement motifs and themes dealing with such social issues found in modern dancehall.

[5] The word mento is of uncertain etymology; it may be from an African language or Cuban Spanish; Rex Nettleford said the term was brought back from Cuba by Jamaicans returning from work there.

[6] Supposedly, it derives from the Spanish verb mentar, "to mention, call out, name", because of the subtle ways that lyrics criticised people (whether fellow blacks, or the whites who were in charge).

Previously recorded Jamaican versions of many Belafonte's classic "calypso" hits can be heard on the Jamaica – Mento 1951–1958 CD released by Frémeaux & Associés in 2009.

In a 1957 interview for Calypso Star magazine, Lord Flea said: In Jamaica, we call our music 'mento' until very recently.

[10]This was the golden age of mento, as records pressed by Stanley Motta, Ivan Chin, Ken Khouri and others brought the music to a new audience.

[11] This style of music was revived in popularity by the Jolly Boys in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the release of four recordings on First Warning Records/Rykodisc and a tour that included the United States.