The Tropicalia movement as a whole isn't just about music, but also theatre and poetry. However, the musical element is the best known, starting with the Tropicalia album that was released in 1968. Composer Caetano Veloso and songwriter Gilberto Gil were the principal creators of the album, which was conceived largely as a political protest.

The main influence on Tropicana is an idea that was first articulated in the 1920s, not by a musician but by a fellow Brazilian artist, Oswald de Andrade. The idea was antropofagia or cannibalism, and basically it means taking ideas from as many different genres and cultures as you want to make something new and unique. Therefore it is hard to speak of Tropicalia as belonging to a genre. However, the influence of traditional Brazilian and classical music can be seen, as well as jazz and other 20th century styles. You can learn more about the history of Tropicalia here.