Rebetiko is an infectious genre. Although there is no consensus on a definition, one may describe Rebetiko as songs that express the musical folklore of the urban centers and, in particular, the urban population that lived in the margins of society, which included various groups of the underworld who engaged in illegal activities such as smuggling, hustling, gambling and prostitution, and who frequented the smoke dens. Its origin is still uncertain, but many place it in the port cities of the Eastern Mediterranean such as Smyrna (Izmir), Constantinople (Istanbul), Thessaloniki, Piraeus, and Alexandria of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Throughout the years Rebetiko endured defamation, persecution and censorship, but during the period from the 1920’s to mid 1950’s it was able to evolve from a marginal music to a popular Greek music embraced by generations, and to become the source of inspiration for contemporary composers and musicians.