While members of the afoxés brought their Afro-Brazilian religious cosmology to the Carnaval procession by maintaining their African roots with the puxada do ijexá (a rhythm played in honor of the orixás or Afro-Brazilian deities), the flourishing middle-class blocos mostly relied on carnaval music styled on Rio de Janeiro's samba-enrredos.
The afoxés and middle-class blocos both participate in Carnaval celebrations but with distinct cultural influences: the afoxés uphold their African roots through the puxada do ijexá, while the middle-class blocos draw inspiration from samba-enrredos music of Rio de Janeiro.