Marwan Pablo’s ‘EN7ERAF’ is a Cinematic Return to Form

Marwan Pablo made his surprise return this Eid with ‘EN7ERAF’, a four-track EP that plays out like a high-speed pursuit through the darker corners of Cairo’s sonic underworld. With no pre-release teasers or traditional rollout, Pablo released four consecutive tracks over four days—each paired with its own visual directed by Abanoub Ramsis. Together, the project forms a tightly-wound statement: cinematic, minimal, and packed with intent.

“The goal was to create something that sits between a visualizer and a music video—not just looping visuals, but not full narrative either,” Ramsis explains. “I wanted something elevated that still feels performance driven.”

The first track, ‘BONO’, is a darkly confident opener that wastes no time establishing the tone. Over a driving beat from longtime collaborator Hamadaboi, Pablo’s verses cut through with precision. His bars—“صعب إني أسيب إللي في إيدي عشان شوية ترندات”—call out the shallow chase for trends, signalling his disinterest in the industry’s algorithmic noise. Visually, the video evokes the dusty, kinetic energy of ‘Barbary’ but trades nostalgia for something sharper, leaner, and more honed in.

The second track, ‘GHANIMA’, shifts into a more venomous register. The beat glitches and growls, creating a tense backdrop for one of Pablo’s rawest vocal performances to date. His flow feels urgent but controlled, slipping between aggression and clarity with precision. The accompanying video dives into shadowy rooms, dim lighting, and smoke-filled frames—less a music video than a visual fever dream. The line “إحنا بنيجو زي القضا.. نرجعو القرد لجرابه” captures the sense of inevitable return Pablo seems to be tapping into—personal, political, and artistic.

From the start, Ramsis knew time would be a constraint: “We didn’t have much time for pre-production, and the whole shoot had to happen in one day, in one location. On top of that, the videos had to be released by Eid, which meant only a day or two for post. So the concept had to be strong, visual, and shootable under tight conditions.”

‘AURA’, the shortest track on the EP, is also one of its most efficient. There’s no warm-up—just a beat that pulses like a heartbeat and bars that slide in with quiet authority. “Go hard, go hard.. كل مزيكتي بت Go hard” sums it up best. The video’s one-shot aesthetic reflects that same momentum, letting Pablo occupy the space without distraction or clutter. It’s a flex track, but not in a loud, brash way—it’s smooth and sinister.

“I built a concept around repetition with variation—same elements, same space, but four different visual experiences,” says Ramsis. “The idea was to do more with less and keep it raw and atmospheric.”

The final track, ‘LEMAZA’, lands like a closing scene. It starts slow and deliberate, with an opening that feels like the soundtrack to a level boss entrance. The production simmers, then builds, conjuring a storm of sound before easing into resolution. The visuals match that arc with Mad Max levels of chaos—full of dust, metal and motion—until we’re left with a solitary figure pushing forward, unresolved but unbroken. “ما تشخصنهاش.. إحود الشراع عن إللي راح” lingers long after the music stops.

“The mood was meant to be timeless and slightly futuristic—less about referencing a specific era, more about creating atmosphere,” Ramsis adds. All four visualizers are set in the same massive, dark warehouse, with different lighting, setups, and set designs—each reflecting Pablo’s shifting energy.

“Pablo has a very intense and internal energy,” he continues. “That helped me strip things down and focus on capturing his presence without overcomplicating the visuals. He doesn’t need much to hold the frame, so I focused on creating a world around him rather than overloading the visuals.”

Together, the tracks don’t read like singles—they read like chapters in a larger story, or rather, scenes in a chase sequence. ‘EN7ERAF’ isn’t trying to dominate playlists or feed algorithms. It’s a tightly structured audiovisual experience rooted in tone, tension, and tact. There’s no filler, no fluff—just Pablo in a new form: sharper, bolder, and more precise than ever.