Sha'abi  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sha'abi is the name of a style of living, a style of dance, and a style of music. The word is Egyptian Arabic شعبي  and refers to the poorer, commoner sections of the city. An English equivalent might be "ghetto." The name came to characterize the style of music enjoyed in such neighborhoods. The style is somewhat rougher and more playful than the rest of Egyptian pop music. Naturally, the style of dance acquired the name "sha'abi". The dance is more assertively sexual than is ordinary Egyptian dance. Egyptian Sha'abi After Egypt's demoralizing defeat by Israel in the 1967 war, new sounds developed in Cairo as young Egyptians sought ways to reaffirm themselves in a fast-paced, changing world. Internationally savvy, high-tech Al Jeel became the music of the educated, well-to-do youth. Meanwhile, in working-class neighborhoods, a brash new sound called sha'abi, which means "of the people" bloomed into view. Sha'abi has old, rural origins, but also refers to a modern urban musical style, often using western and electric instruments. Sha'abi musicians popularized short song forms and lyrics dealing with everyday social themes, paralleling the development of "working class" politics. These embers caught fire in Egypt in the '70s, ignited by the onset of affordable cassette technology.

Shamelessly rude and comic in his themes and lyrics,Ahmed Adaweyah sparked the sha'abi explosion with his first cassette in 1971. The music can evoke sadness and nostalgia, but more often fits tales of survival in the city and working class pride to breathless rhythms and rough-edged musical productions. Ahmed and his followers shocked some listeners and delighted others with unabashed straight talk and new takes on traditional social music. In sha'abi, old, folkloric chants slide into rap, while hand-clapping and dancing loud melodies ornament slamming, bass-driven dance mixes. Ahmed has had songs on topics from sexual attraction to the Gulf War banned from radio play. He remains popular, although less so since his move to a more programmed electronic sound that old fans find emasculated. photo left:  Ahmed Adaweyah and Gamila El Masri 1988 Sha'abi stars no longer develop their reputations in the clubs along Pyramid Road, but many work at private parties and in Cairo studios. Sha'abi singers must master the art of mawal, improvised commentary and storytelling used to drive home a song's message. Shabaan Abdul Raheem worked as an ironing man until he began recording sha'abi hits in his big, rough voice.

Spiking his pro-Egypt, anti-foreign sentiments with rap profanity, Shabaan sells well, despite or perhaps aided by the fact that a number of his cassettes have been banned. Though he can sell 100,000 or more of each release, he continues to lead a simple life, tending to his chickens and goats in his old neighborhood. Singers Sami Ali and Sahar Hamdy take a still bolder rap approach and have earned the radio ban for a number of sexually explicit songs. In the '90s, young sha'abi stars like Hakim, Khaled Agag, Hassan el Asmar, Magdy Talaat, and Magdy Shabin emphasize the bleeps, pops and whines of synthesizers and drum machines. Outsiders may find the results tacky-to the point of comedy, or perhaps seduction-but techno-sha'abi parallels developments in youth pop across North Africa as a large, restless generation of teenagers announces its presence and its openness to new ideas.   BACK TO REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP OR RESERVE FOR PERFORMANCE