Marabi is a form of music and dance style that started in South Africa around the 1890s to the 1920s. It is deeply tied to South Africa’s socio-political history and cultural identity, especially among Black South Africans. It was the music of the working class, especially miners and factory workers, and was often played in informal bars called ‘shebeens’. It developed in the segregated townships of Johannesburg and other cities, where Black South Africans lived during the colonial rule and apartheid. It began at a time when the black South Africans were becoming more urbanized and moved to townships. It was used to express resistance to the social norms enforced by apartheid and colonialism; therefore, it was highly disregarded and considered immoral.

Its sound was usually used to draw people into the “shebeens” to buy illicit drinks like skokiaan, and dance. As a tool for distraction from the hardships the workers went through, Marabi’s style of music is primarily dance music, very energetic and communal. It is a blend of African traditional music, jazz. Rag time blues and even a bit of Western gospel music. A key instrument used in Marabi is the keyboard, alongside other instruments which are usually cheap and accessible like pump organs, guitars and homemade percussion instruments. Marabi is all about a few basic chords that get played over and over in different patterns. It can really go on for a long time, which is pretty standard for traditional African music with its repetitive harmonic vibes.

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Although Marabi was rarely recorded because of the opposition towards it, it has gone on to influence many other styles of South African music, even in the modern world of music. Music genres such as Kwela, Mbaqanga and South African jazz draw their roots from Marabi. Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly known as Dollar brand) and Basil Coetzee are two South African musicians whose musical expressions are largely influenced by Marabi.
One prominent musical work that showcases elements of Marabi is Paul Simon’s 1986 album, ‘Graceland.’ According to the Garland Encyclopedia of Music, the album’s distinctive sound is significantly influenced by African-American jazz, which was introduced to South Africa through transnational record-distribution networks in the 1920s. Many South African jazz musicians were skilled in reading musical scores, allowing them to create a unique jazz style that combined American swing with traditional African melodies. This captivating fusion of African-American musical structure and African stylistic elements laid the foundation for early South African township jazz, known as Marabi.

Marabi has gone beyond music, rather it is a socio-cultural manifestation sponsored by the resilience and community spirit of South Africans. In a time when laws were enacted to segregate the black South Africans from public places, this genre of music served as a way for the barred black South Africans to express themselves artistically.

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From the 1930s onward, the emergence of broadcast radio aimed at black listeners, along with the development of a local recording industry, significantly enhanced the promotion of these sounds. While a specific genre label is not specifically recognized. Gospel songs can be fused with elements of the Marabi genre, as the African Christian music industry approaches its newer evolutions.