The genre started out as street music performed in squares andsouks, and can be heard in cafés, restaurants, and weddings.[2]
Chaabi is commonly associated with the culture of thearoubi, which is a pejorative term to describe people ofArab descent, as well as meaningpeasant and uneducated, as opposed to theFassi (lit.'fromFez', but also including anyone who adopts an elitist culture), who preferAndalusian music and themalhun.[4][5]
Rural varieties includeJerra andal-Aïta (lit. "the cry"[6]).
