Warriors: Musical review

Warriors review

"Warriors" Soundtrack: A Grit-Pop Graffiti Bomb

Hot Take, Straight Off the Third Rail

Context Corner: How We Got This Neon Riot

• Release: 18 Oct 2024
• Label: Atlantic Records
• Masterminds: Lin-Manuel “Rhymes in His Sleep” Miranda + Eisa “Genre-Magnet” Davis
• Runtime: 80 minutes of adrenalized city blur

Track-by-Track: A Sonic Walk-Through in Graffiti

1. "Survive the Night" – Opens like a borough roll call at a street-corner block party. Nas drops chess metaphors, Cam’ron flexes uptown drawl, Ghostface snarls Staten slang. It’s swagger layered on steel wheels.
2. "If You Can Count" – Lauryn Hill’s voice drifts in like incense through a cracked church window, blessing the truce before chaos. Sparse bass, hand-clap gospel, subway screech samples—chef’s kiss of tension.
3. "Derailed" – Twenty-second child scream loops under grime-crusted drums. You almost smell burnt brake pads. Ajax’s frustration crackles; Luther’s shadow lurks.
4. "Going Down" – Kim Dracula detonates a metal-trap fusion so violent you’ll check for nosebleeds. At 2?36? you hear the guitar solo careen off the tracks and cackle all the way down.
5. "Call Me Mercy" – Julia Harriman croons on a rainy-day R&B canvas; wounds, wonder, and boardwalk salt water mix in the hook.
6. "Finale" (three-part) – Surf-rock twang, gospel choir lift, and a final whispered hope from the surviving Warriors. Dawn breaks, but you’re not sure anybody is truly safe.

Big Ideas Hiding Under Leather Vests

Performances: Who Steals the Show?

The Warriors Core

Cleon (Aneesa Folds)

Folds’ muscular alto slices through ensemble bustle, commanding without over-singing. Her “Woodlawn Cemetery” verse might be the album’s most quotable pep talk.

Swan (Jasmine Cephas Jones)

Underplays heroism, lets quiet determination carry weight. When she whispers “Mercy, run,” you run.

The Rogues

Luther (Kim Dracula)

Chaos incarnate. Think Joker with a distortion pedal.

Cameo Kings + Queens

Hill, Busta, RZA—drop-in fireworks that could feel gimmicky, yet Miranda’s pen gifts them lines worthy of their mythos.

Studio Spill: Tape-Loop Sandpaper

"We stopped asking ‘Can we clear that sample?’ and started asking ‘Does it make the story bleed the right color?’"Eisa Davis

"Nas said my chess line was solid. I nearly retired right there."Lin-Manuel Miranda

Verdict: 8/10 Baseball Bats

FAQ

Do I need to know the 1979 film?

No, but spotting references feels like finding hidden tags on a brick wall.

Best listening setup?

Night ride, over-ear cans, volume one tick below tinnitus.

Any skips?

"Cardigans" feels novelty-thin, but even that groove worms into your brain by the second chorus.

Stage musical when?

Nothing official, just whispers and hope. Keep eyes on subway posters.

Warriors Lyrics: Song List

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