BY: DENVER LARK
“Without Warning,” an album whose release obviously lives up to its name, comes from 21 Savage, Offset, and Metro Boomin collaborating.
The unexpected album includes hits such as “Run Up the Racks,” “Rap Saved Me” feat. Quavo, and Offset’s solo number “Ric Flair Drip.”
Despite the vulgar lyrics and graphic descriptions, all three of these young men act differently in the public eye.
21 Savage and Offset are both in high-profile relationships with famous women. 21 Savage proved so with his summer album release “Issa” where he found himself becoming less and less of the gruesome person he portrayed on past albums and mixtapes, and more of the “wholesome” man he tries to be.
The summer album featured love songs which is something we would not expect to hear from a “savage.” Although Offset has not released his own solo independent album, he is also being “wholesome.”
He proposed to Cardi B in front of thousands of fans a few days
Official cover art of ‘Without Warning’ that was released on October 30th.
before the release of the album. The charming, unexpected proposal went viral for a good reason. It may be safe to say that these men are not anyone’s nightmares but true sweethearts.
As far as the lyrical content of the album, it lacks what some may call “substance?” Each song talks about money, murder, and drugs as Offset continues to be verbally dense and lyrically sophisticated while 21 Savage is emotionless, numb, but conversational.
The match makes an interesting counterbalance.
We can’t forget about the vital component that puts these two together: Metro Boomin. He produces catchy and evocative beats
that create this mesh.
Similar to what he did with
Savage Mode, Metro goes for muted drums, ferocious harpsichords, rain-streaked keyboard refrains, and we can’t forget the famous ad- libs that sound ghostly.
Halloween is the season of goblins, ghouls, and ghostly things. Many say that the unforeseen release of Without Warning came around the same time as the second season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. Both relate to ominous ‘80s-horror- movie synth tones.’
Like Stranger Things, Without Warning comes with a risk of backlash since the younger generation are dancing on the edge of overexposure and both interested in presenting the audience and listeners with comfort and not actual scares.
As the newly, unexpected album enters the scene, 21 Savage has a verse on one of the top songs in the country. Offset had his own
#1 earlier this year, and he and the other Migos have spent all of 2017 capitalizing on it. Despite the fact that Without Warning isn’t a solo album, who would have thought
a year ago, that Offset, not Quavo, would be the first to come out with his own solo project?
Metro has also had a big year thanks to the hit singles “Bad & Boujee” and “Mask Off.” Although Metro changes his sounds, it may be because of the sense that Atlanta Trap is no longer “what’s poppin.”
Metro’s understanding of the power of restraint allows Without Warning to be more arresting than last week’s Atlanta rapper collaboration, Future, and Young Thug’s “Super Slimey.”
Is it safe to say that although both Future and Young Thug
have “bigger names” and heavier influences than Savage and Offset that Metro beats make ‘Without Warning’ resonate and attract more listeners in ways that ‘Super Slimey’ couldn’t?
Good thing ‘Young Metro’ trusted 21 Savage and Offset.
