From Time Before Music has always been an important factor in the lives of Jamaicans and other West Indians.
Jamaican music comes from an African foundation, influenced by the music of Europe.
Mento's lyrical food is topical issues. By the 1950s Jamaican youth were more interested in listening to American pop music, popularized by radio and sound systems - portable dance machines that were to change the face of Jamaican music. Many early ska songs were covers of popular American songs. Ska's tempo was especially appealing to the restless Jamaican youth, and was always the music of the poor. While the tempo remained about the same Rock Steady carried a relaxed rhythmic density.