Trying to quantify the level of happiness we feel each time Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo drops new material is nearly impossible. Having stepped in and out of retirement quite a few times since his come up in the late 2010s, the idea of never hearing from him again has always lingered. Recent years have made those fears easier to shake, as since 2023, he’s put out one album and four EPs, with the latest landing on streaming platforms earlier this morning.
Dubbed 5 NZAM, the four-track project sees the Alexandria-born artist do what he knows best: slip back into his signature pocket of trap-infused beats, clipped flows, and cold, self-assured delivery. Cruising between different moods, each track sharpens a different facet of his persona. He invites Grammy-nominated producer-slash-rapper Hady Moamer— along with long-time collaborator Xander Ghost— to add to the mix, without ever pulling focus, all while keeping things cohesive by adding just enough variation to hold attention.
Short and sweet, the mini project is a prelude to something bigger. Just days before it dropped, the Diesel ambassador teased the EP by sharing a screenshot of the tracks that now make up 5 NZAM, leaving it unnamed and referring to it simply as “the EP before the album,” and claimed it would be out “soon.”
Whether that album lands in a few weeks, a few months, or later down this year is still up in the air, but it’s clearly on the way. In the meantime, fans can catch him live back in his hometown of Alexandria on April 24, and who knows? He might just let a few more details slip.
Click here to stream 5 NZAM.