Marwan Pablo Returns to His Trap Sound on New EP ‘5 NZAM’

After teasing the tracklist in a surprise Instagram drop with no release date attached, Egyptian rap heavyweight Marwan Pablo has finally delivered his highly-anticipated EP, '5 NZAM'.

Across four tracks, two of which are produced in collaboration with Hady Moamer, the Alexandria-born artist circles back to the trap sound that first defined his rise, but with a more controlled, self-assured edge. There are subtle callbacks to ‘CTRL’ (2021) and ‘The Last Art Piece’ (2023), with Pablo operating squarely in his comfort zone. Even when the production veers into light experimentation, it never feels forced; instead, the EP leans on the ease and precision of an artist who has already mastered his own blueprint.

‘Flexing’ opens the EP with a distorted, metallic guitar line before settling into a familiar Pablo groove, sharp drums, clipped flows, and a charismatic delivery reminiscent of ‘El Sindbad’, capped with a cinematic outro. ‘Hekmdar’ follows a similar lane, pairing a loose, unhurried flow with a psychedelic-tinged trap beat, as Pablo threads introspection with a pointed nod to Palestine.

On ‘Khatar’, Hady Moamer anchors the track in a moody shaabi-trap palette, as Pablo and Xander Ghost trade bars on loyalty and rivalry with measured intensity. ‘Awghad’ closes the EP on a more charged note, leaning into psychedelic trap with distorted drums and bursts of scream-like ad-libs, echoing the energy of ‘El Barbary’, a well-known collaboration between Moamer and Pablo.

Compared to the more exploratory detours of 'PRJKTBLUBEAM' and 'EN7RAF', where Pablo flirted with glitch-hop and rage, '5 NZAM' is tighter, more grounded, where Pablo is less concerned with pushing outward than refining what’s already his.