Shaabi is an Egyptian musical genre. It is a form of popular working-class music which evolved from Egyptian Baladi in the second half of the 20th century, it’s the core of Egyptian people music in streets and weddings and every day Egyptian life.
The term “shaabi” comes from the Arabic word “shaab” or “chaab”, which means “folk” or “people”. It originated in Cairo in the early 20th century bringing together songs of composer Sayyid Darwish, and decades later mawwal singers Abu Dira and Anwar al-Askari, along with songs by Shafiq Gallal, Mohamed abd el-Motleb, Mohamed el-Ezzabi and others.
One of the most famous and global Egyptian shaabi songs is “Shik Shak Shok”, a creation of the prominent Egyptian musician Hassan Abou El Seoud. It became also known outside of Egypt ever since the 1970s and even gained some global fame. It is a form of the local urban music expressing the difficulties and frustrations of modern lower-class Egyptian life.
Shaabi singers predating the 1970s often sang other genres, such as religious music, love songs, and even nationalist songs. As migration to the cities increased, certain neighborhoods were identified with shaabi, and the musicians were well known in their own communities.
Shaabi lyrics can be both intensely political, and filled with humor and double meaning. The first shaabi singer to rise to stardom was Adaweyah, whose first album in 1972 sold a million copies. Like many shaabi singers, Adaweyah was famed for his mawwal.
Other well-known singers in the shaabi genre include Saad El Soghayer, Amina, and Abdelbaset Hamouda.
Another notable singer is Hakim, who is from a middle-class background unlike most shaabi singers, and whose commercially successful brand of shaabi-pop is generally cheerful and apolitical.
In other parts of North Africa, the term used is chaabi or chabbi. Moroccan chaabi is characterized by its vivacious and lively nature, typically played during joyous occasions, and features the use of a violin played vertically. Algerian chaabi, on the other hand, focuses on repetitive melodies that address daily life issues and ethical dilemmas, and it features the use of a mandol, in addition to the primary instruments used in Moroccan Chaabi.
The song ‘El Hal Ma Chaour’ by El Hamri and ‘Wahiyani’ by FIEGTA are popular examples of Moroccan chaabi. Meanwhile, ‘Ya Rayah’ by Dahmane El Haracchi, popularized by Rachid Taha‘s version, is one of the most popular Algerian chaabi songs.
World music acts like acclaimed singer Natacha Atlas (who spent time in Egypt) have developed fusions of shaabi with electronica and other musical forms.
Other examples include Syria’s Omar Souleyman who mixes Syrian dabke, Iraqi choubi, shaabi and electronica.
Another notable artist is Orchestre National de Barbes (Algeria/Morocco/France), who fuse shaabi with Gnawa music, funk, rock and other styles.
Issam Kamal & Mazagan have developed a new form of chaabi they call chaabi groove.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.