The genre started out as street music performed in squares and souks, and can be heard in cafés, at restaurants and at weddings.[2]
Chaabi is commonly associated with the culture of the aroubi, which is a pejorative term to describe people of Arab descent as well as meaning peasant and uneducated, as apposed to the Fassi (lit.'from Fez', but also including anyone who adopts an elitist culture) who prefer Andalusian music and the malhun.[4][5]
Rural varieties include Jerra and al-Aïta (lit. "the cry"[6]).