Mento ( English mento ) - Jamaican folk music style, the forerunner of ska and reggae . In mento, acoustic instruments are usually used: acoustic guitar , banjo , hand drum and marimbula - a box-shaped instrument that you can sit on during the game.
Mentos are often confused with calypso , a musical style from Trinidad and Tobago . Both styles have a lot in common, but differ in form.
Mento combines traditional African motifs and the influence of European music. In the texts, mento humorously sings about the life of a poor person. Mento was most developed in the 1950s, in the 1960s it turned into ska, although it is still played in Jamaica , especially in tourist areas.