via YouTube
Alexandria is famous for being home to underground artists before making it big. Eight years ago, it was home to an aspiring artist named Dama, who was obsessed with the outbreak of the genre of Mahraganat. Marwan Ahmed Motawea, born and raised in Alexandria, released his first track Al Gholaf X Ozoris, under the name of Marwan Pablo. Years later, in his song Free, we learnt that the name change was in reference to Pablo Escobar and Pablo Picasso.
With a single EP, CTRL, and numerous hits like El Gemeza, Sindbad, Ghaba, and Barbary, his aim to popularise trap music in his hometown of Alexandria paved the way for a rising generation of rappers to emerge. His success made waves among all, featuring on playlists regardless of age, social status, or gender.
via Weez Event
As of February 2023, the godfather of Egyptian trap music will embark on his first-ever European tour. In an event hosted by ADEEF & ELAPOGEE, Pablo will perform in Paris on the 11th and Berlin on the 16th, with standard tickets being sold at €39 and a special price for groups of three or more for €34,99.
Pablo’s Notorious Comeback
via Facebook
Before his global exposure, rumours surfaced of Pablo going on an indefinite hiatus. In a blink of an eye, his YouTube channel and Instagram account were blank, shocking his fans over the sudden disappearance. Shortly after, he announced that his step back from making music was for personal and religious reasons. He further explained that the pressure accompanying fame had got the best of him, and he needed a break to recharge from the drain of the constant expectations of him that he was unable to meet.
A leaked video of Pablo working on a new song broke Egyptian Twitter almost a year after his alleged retirement. A week later, Ghaba was released, and his social media accounts returned to life. His comeback video marks his most watched, gaining more than four million views within the first 24 hours and 26 million views total.
From Sold Out Shows in Egypt to Touring Europe
Pablo’s notorious comeback accompanied concerts across Egypt that gathered thousands of attendees, mostly youngsters, singing along to his bangers. His shows were also known for featuring top rappers, from Batistuta, Abo Al Anwar, and EVIL sharing the stage with him in Alexandria to Palestinian rappers Shabjdeed, Al Nather, and Shabmouri doing so in New Cairo.
Shabjdeed’s infamous incident in which he changed the lyrics of a religious chant by Sayed Al Naqshabandi to welcome Pablo on stage caused a massive backlash from the audience and led to Pablo’s band being prevented from performing in Egypt by the Egyptian Musicians’ Syndicate. However, Marwan found a loophole following this unfortunate event and performed alongside Wegz and Afroto in Saudi Arabia amid the Riyadh Season festival. And, as mentioned above, he is launching his first and highly anticipated Euro tour!
