Understanding São Luís's relationship with reggae requires a brief history. In the 1970s, vinyl records of Jamaican roots reggae reached Maranhão via the Caribbean maritime trade routes — sailors and merchants from São Luís travelled regularly to Trinidad, Barbados, and other Caribbean islands, and they came back with records. The music spread through the sound system culture of the city's working-class neighbourhoods.
By the 1980s, São Luís had hundreds of radiolas — competing sound systems — and a local variant of reggae had developed: slower, heavier, more influenced by the rhythms of Afro-Maranhão traditions. Today the city claims to have more reggae bars per capita than anywhere outside Jamaica, and the music is still played at the same slower tempo. If you want to understand why, the Reggae Maranhão Museum in the historic centre gives the full story. If you want to experience it, any Friday or Saturday night in Praia Grande will do.