Alongside his frequent collaborator Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil was one of the pioneers of the Tropicália sound in the late '60s, a revolutionary artistic movement so politically charged that the repressive Brazilian government briefly jailed the pair and then forced them into exile for years. Musically, Gil fused the best of Brazil, blending samba, bossa nova and rock into an upbeat, percussion-driven sound. Alongside his prolific musical career, Gil moved into local and national politics, starting in the '80s, eventually serving as Brazil's minister of culture from 2003-08.