Respectfully referred to as “the king of Sudanese folk music,” Kamal Tarbas has continued to develop for the haqibah (pronounced: hagee-ba) tradition that originated using the Muslim sufi chants of the first ’20s. Accompanied with the rhythms from the riq (tambourine) as well as the clapping of 3 or 4 background performers, Tarbas crafted a distinctive Sudanese folk music sub-genre that has been referred to as Al Fann Al-Shaabi. Tarbas founded the Dar Karoma Center for Music, called following the Sudanese musical pioneer, in 1985.