Warriors is a concept album by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, inspired by the 1979 action film The Warriors, which adapted the 1965 novel of the same name by Sol Yurick. Released on October 18, 2024, it was executive-produced by Nas and produced by Mike Elizondo. Blending hip-hop, musical theatre, and various styles that reflect New York City's diversity, Warriors reimagines the story with a gender-flipped perspective. It follows an all-female gang navigating a treacherous journey through the city after the murder of a gang leader, drawing inspiration from real-life events like the 1971 Hoe Avenue peace meeting and addressing themes of misogyny.
Though initially rumored to be part of a planned stage musical, Miranda and Davis clarified that Warriors was conceived as a standalone musical work. Miranda has stated that treating the project as an album rather than a stage production allowed him to work with some of his "dream collaborators" who could not commit to a Broadway schedule. Warriors features a diverse group of artists, including hip-hop figures Lauryn Hill, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, and RZA, as well as Latin musician Marc Anthony and dancehall singer Shenseea. The album also includes performances from Broadway and film stars Colman Domingo, Billy Porter, Sasha Hutchings, Phillipa Soo, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. Following its release, Miranda and Davis confirmed plans to develop a stage adaptation.
The American singer-songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda first saw the movie The Warriors (1979) at age four on a VHS videocassette and, according to him, the story was "on two stone tablets in my head" since then.[1][2]
In 2009, shortly after Miranda's stage musical In the Heights opened on Broadway, his friend Phil Westgren suggested basing a musical on The Warriors. Miranda initially told Westgren the idea would never work. After his first run of performing in Hamilton, he realised he had been thinking about adapting The Warriors since then. In 2022, Miranda proposed a collaboration on the project to Eisa Davis, who had never seen the movie.[1][3]
In August 2023, New York Post was the first media outlet to report Miranda was working on a stage musical adaptation of Sol Yurick's 1965 novel The Warriors.[4][5] In July 2024, it was reported Miranda was completing the recording of a concept album for a new musical adaptation of the eponymous movie.[6]
In August 2024, the album's release date was confirmed; The New York Times said it was unclear whether the album would lead to a stage musical, while the Los Angeles Times described earlier reports the album was to be a stage production as "speculation". The New York Times noted: "Hamilton was initially conceived as a concept album, and there is a history of concept albums evolving into stage productions, from Jesus Christ Superstar to Hadestown'".[7][8] Following the album's release, Miranda and Davis downplayed immediate plans for a stage production, noting they did not have a theatrical producer or director attached, and choosing instead to focus on the album as the project's main goal.[9] Davis also ruled out turning the album into a film, saying that story has already been in that medium, and the album is a love letter to it.[10]
In December 2024, in an interview with The New York Times following the release of Mufasa: The Lion King, Miranda said he and Davis were planning to start discussions about a stage adaptation in early 2025, saying "People really like [the album], but because we're such a visual culture, everyone said to me and Eisa 'OK, when can we see it?' So I think at the top of the year, Eisa and I will just start having conversations about how to adapt that to the stage."[11][12]
Style, writing, and composition
Musical style
Associated Press described Warriors as being "at the intersection of musical theater and popular music", but noted it touches on various genres like "a diverse buffet, reflecting New York".[13]Billboard also describes the album as "genre-hopping".[3]Michael Paulson, a theater reporter at The New York Times, lists the album's genres as "rap and hip-hop, salsa and merengue, ska and sounds from ballroom culture, R&B and funk". He adds there are nods to K-pop ("We Got You"), and dancehall (Shenseea's vocals on "Survive the Night").[14] Davis has said of the album's incorporation of diverse genres: "We really wanted to be able to express the multiple New Yorks inside of New York. We wanted to be able to speak to the different cultural influences that are there. And we wanted to just have the fun of having our palette be as wide as possible."[15]
Warriors also includes elements of metal music for the character Luther, who is voiced by Kim Dracula. Miranda initially tried writing rap verses for Luther, attempting to match rhythms to the character's thinking patterns as he had done in Hamilton. He found rap sounded too methodical and organized. Eisa played Miranda some music by the metal band Alekhine's Gun and they chose this sound for its "chaotic energy".[14][16]
Writing for guest artists
On Warriors, each of New York City's five boroughs is represented by a well-known rap artist. Miranda has said it was very intimidating "to write verses for some of the greatest writers we have". Davis has said that, while the raps were written specifically for each performer's own rhythms, there was still a question of whether they would be able to perform someone else's lines, as they take pride in never having been ghostwritten. According to Miranda, the performers had to make a key shift in recognizing they are playing a role, not themselves, but that they can still "bring what we love about them as emcees to the table".[3][17]
According to Miranda, one of his proudest moments as a lyricist was getting approval from Nas for the verse written for him, which is based on a recording of Miranda performing the lines. While writing the verse, Miranda had wondered: "Do I have a Queens metaphor [Nas] hasn't tried in his long and amazing career?", ultimately choosing a chess metaphor.[17]
The album's producer Mike Elizondo has also commented on the importance of Nas's involvement as executive producer, saying "You get someone like Nas involved, and people who might be a little wary about doing something out of their comfort zone think, 'Well, if Nas is doing it, what do I have to be afraid of?'".[18]
Collaboration
Miranda told the theatrical magazine Playbill: "The album says 'by both of us', and it really is by both of us"; both Miranda and Davis are credited as its authors without delineation of their roles. According to Miranda: "pretty much every Warriors bassline" started as a voice memo from Davis to him. One such voice memo appears six seconds into the album's first track as its first sung material.[19] Davis has said that their collaboration allowed the pair to develop an artistic relationship that feels like they are family, and that it is "almost like we share a brain".[10]
Some tracks were written as a broader collaboration with the album's band as part of jam sessions at the Tennessee home of the producer Mike Elizondo.[19]
South Korean-born composer Helen Park is also a contributor, adding a line in Korean to the K-pop-inspired track "We Got You". Miranda describes their collaboration, saying "We painted the picture for her: This needs to be the come on to end all come-ons, but then at the end, you sneak in the phrase 'you killed our hope.' The folks who speak Korean will have a head start on how nefarious this gang [the Bizzies] is."[20]
During the writing process, Miranda swapped early demos with Andy Samberg, who was working on The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience. Miranda and Samberg had met on the set of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and realized they were both working on concept albums about what Miranda describes as: "weird super-niche [19]80s things that maybe we're the only ones who really care about". He said on Late Night with Seth Meyers: "weirdly, Bash Brothers is the cousin of Warriors".[21]
Release
Warriors was released on October 18, 2024, with a launch party at Brooklyn's Time Out Market the day before. A vinyl copy of the album was played before its midnight release to streaming services. At the party, Time Out unveiled a digital magazine cover that includes a photograph of Miranda and Davis in the subway car that was used in the 1979 film and is now housed in New York Transit Museum.[22][23]
Miranda said he was touched by the reaction of his son Francisco to the album release: "Daddy, can we hum it at school now?" He knew he was not allowed to sing tracks from the album until its release. Davis said his son "was under NDA".[24]
Story
DJ Lynne Pen broadcasts to New York City's gangs, announcing a gathering at Van Cortlandt Park organized by Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs ("Survive the Night"). The Warriors, an all-women gang from Coney Island, follow Cyrus's instructions to leave their weapons behind and head uptown ("Roll Call"). At the park, they perform their signature rhyme ("Warriors' Cypher"). Cyrus arrives ("Make Way for Cyrus") and calls for a gang truce to ensure peace ("If You Can Count"). While her message gains support, Luther of the Rogues kills Cyrus and blames Cleon, the Warriors' leader and the only witness. As the Riffs attack Cleon, she orders the Warriors to flee ("Derailed"). With Cleon missing, Swan takes charge, frustrating Ajax. They plan to regroup at Union Square Station before heading home ("Woodlawn Cemetery").
The DJ announces that the truce has been broken and a hit placed on the Warriors. They escape a vehicular attack by the Puerto Rican Turnbull AC's in the Bronx and board a train ("Leave the Bronx Alive"), but a track fire forces them to continue on foot. Luther informs the Rogues of his plan to pin the murder on the Warriors ("A Track Fire and a Phone Call") and shares his plan to "watch the world burn" with Cropsy ("Going Down"). The Warriors encounter the Orphans and feign weakness so that they be allowed to pass through. Mercy, the girlfriend of the Orphan's leader Sully, disrupts this by demanding Swan's vest. When the Warriors refuse, the Orphans prepare to attack. Swan and Ajax throw a Molotov cocktail, scaring off the Orphans ("Orphan Town"). Impressed, Mercy leaves the Orphans to join the Warriors ("Call Me Mercy"). Meanwhile, Cleon convinces the new Riffs leader Masai to investigate the real killer ("Still Breathin'").
The House of Hurricanes, a rollerskating ballroom group from Spanish Harlem, stop the Warriors and accuse them of killing Cyrus. Convinced of their innocence, they let them go but warn them running makes them look guilty and that they must fight to survive ("Quiet Girls"). The Warriors stop at Gray's Papaya, but Swan urges them to stay focused. The Baseball Furies, a West Side gang, attack ("Outside Gray's Papaya"). Tired of running, Ajax rallies the Warriors to fight back in Riverside Park ("Sick of Runnin'"). There, Ajax assaults a man she believes to be catcalling her. The man then reveals himself to be an undercover cop, and arrests Ajax while the Warriors flee ("The Park at Night"). Luther and Cropsy mock the Warriors' predicament ("Luther Interlude").
At Union Square, the Warriors meet the Bizzies, a cardigan-wearing boy band like gang offering shelter in their East Village apartment. Cochise, Cowgirl, and Fox accept, but Rembrandt is wary ("We Got You"). Meanwhile, Mercy asks to become a Warrior, and she and Swan fall in love ("A Light or Somethin'"). At the Bizzies' apartment, Rembrandt realizes they plan an ambush and convinces the Warriors to escape ("We Got You (Reprise)"). Cleon convinces the Riffs that Cyrus's killer is likely in Coney Island ("Somewhere in the City"). Swan and Mercy reunite with the Warriors at Union Square, but police interrupt their attempt to board a train. Fox distracts the police captain by causing a fight on the platform, allowing the others to escape, but she is thrown onto the tracks and killed by an oncoming train ("Reunion Square").
Shaken, the Warriors return to Coney Island in silence. As the DJ narrates the lives of fellow passengers, Mercy and Swan share a kiss ("Same Train Home"). Upon arrival, they mourn their lost members and induct Mercy into the group. They spot Luther approaching in a modified hearse ("Finale Part I: The Wonder Wheel"). Swan leads them to confront Luther on the beach, challenging him to a duel. Luther draws his gun but is disarmed by Swan. The Rogues abandon their leader, and the Riffs arrive. Cleon identifies Luther as Cyrus's killer, and Masai commends the Warriors for their bravery before the Riffs attack Luther ("Finale Part II: The Coney Island Shore"). Cleon rejoins the Warriors, and they express hope that Cyrus's dream of peace will one day be realized ("Finale Part III: When We All Come Home Alive").
Concept and themes
An album, not a show
Miranda told Fast Company approaching this project as an album, rather than a show, allowed him to work with artists he would not otherwise be able to. He said some of his "dream collaborators" would never commit to a Broadway schedule of performing eight times a week, but could spend a couple of days in a studio.[2] This approach allowed Miranda and Davis to focus on the music. Miranda told Playbill: "We got to free ourselves from thinking about how they're going to stage it... Not our problem. Our job was to just musicalize it to the best of our ability". Logan Culwell-Block, writing for Playbill, commented this might be especially helpful because some aspects of the Warriors story, such as the fight sequences and numerous location changes, are not things musicals on traditional proscenium stages are known for doing well.[19]
Gender flip
Miranda describes gender-flipping the characters of The Warriors was key to him understanding how his adaptation could be interesting to write. He told the Associated Press if the Warriors are women "at every point, it complicates [the narrative] in a really compelling way". In the same interview, Davis added: "I think that it's just so crucial to think about this—it's a group of women that no one believes. Everyone is accusing you falsely,... and what is it that you do? What is it that you try?"[1] Davis has also said that it's "revolutionary and feminist" to flip what she described as the "misogynist, homophobic overtones" of the movie.[10]
The 2014-2015 misogynistic online harassment campaign Gamergate was part of Miranda's inspiration for the gender flip. Miranda likens the campaign's doxing of women to Luther's actions in The Warriors, saying: "Luther shoots Cyrus, turns to the Warriors and goes 'they did it'. Then they have to deal with the consequences for the rest of the night, with everyone wanting to kill them."[2][1] Davis also found inspiration in the 1971 Hoe Avenue peace meeting, a real inter-gang truce that took place in the Bronx; Davis said: "The women who were at that peace meeting were made to sit in the back, and the gangs that were all femme were not even allowed to come into that meeting. So in some ways, I feel like this is a vindication for them."[25]
Hip-hop
Eisa Davis describes Warriors as a "love letter to the origins of hip-hop". She again connected the story of Warriors to the Hoe Avenue peace meeting, which she says enabled "the cultural conditions that created hip-hop officially in 1973. There was a shift from being a gang that's at war with other gangs to being a crew that is going to battle other crews as MCs, as great dancers, as graffiti writers, as DJs". When she first watched the 1979 movie with Miranda, she only knew of it because it has been referenced in hip-hop.[17]Vulture said the movie's "unforgettable lines echo across hip-hop history". It gives examples like the line "I be like, 'Warriors, come out and play'", rapped by Ol' Dirty Bastard on Wu-Tang Clan's debut album, and the video for California Love by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre, starting with "Can you dig it?" as spoken by Cyrus.[26]
Recording
Lin-Manuel Miranda describes producer Mike Elizondo as his and Eisa Davis's "third collaborator"; they spent two weeks at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee, recording the album after having earlier recorded demos in upstate New York.[18] Miranda said of the process: "If you're a musical theatre writer, the only time you're in the studio is when you're making the cast album of the stage show. To get to be in Nashville for two weeks with Mike's favorite musicians and figuring out what these tracks sounded like [felt like] indulgence as a musical theatre writer to just really focus on the songs and how they sound and not worry about staging".[2]
Most of the album's vocals were recorded at Power Station studios in Manhattan. Mark Anthony recorded his vocals in Miami, and other recordings were made in Los Angeles.[18]
Lauryn Hill's vocals were recorded separately from the rest of the album at an unknown location.[18] Aneesa Folds recorded a demo vocal on the track that was sent to Hill. During a later photography shoot, Miranda received a text message from Hill's management with a Dropbox link to a file containing Hill's vocals. Miranda immediately went to a changing room to listen to the song.[2]
Miranda recorded the voices of his two sons when they would not leave him to work on the album at their home. His six-year-old son Francisco gave a 20-second scream, which is used in a loop with reverb on "Derailed". Miranda describes the scream as providing "the harmonic backbone of the track". His nine-year-old son Sebastian whispers "run" at the end of the same track.[24]
The voices of Miranda and Davis themselves both also appear on the album, though Miranda has not confirmed exactly where his can be heard. A voice memo Davis created during the writing period is used as a horn line in the opening song, and she has a spoken line elsewhere.[25]
In reference to the album's gender flip, Financial Times's reviewer Ludovic Hunter-Tilney asks whether the 1979 "macho flick" The Warriors has been "put in a wokehold"; they conclude it has been, but to good effect. Hunter-Tilney noted the film's gang violence is largely "cartoon fantasy", and so the story's "transformation into a girl-power parable is hardly a leap". Hunter-Tilney said the role of the radio DJ—"an ancient Greek chorus in the film"—is less-well used in Warriors, but praised "droll embellishments" like "the cringy ska-pop sung by dweebish loser gang the Orphans".[30]
Chris Wiegand of The Guardian noted "one of the album's joys is its unexpected pairings, especially how musical theatre stars are matched with acts from other genres", citing Alex Boniello's and Kim Dracula's duet on "Going Down" in particular. Wiegand also noted the "poignant yearning" of Julia Harriman's performance on "Call Me Mercy" as a highlight that gives the character a larger role than in the film, where she is "reduced to a love interest". The use of lines from the screenplay in the lyrics of "If You Can Count" is praised for building them "into something much more resonant".[29]
The headline of Carl Wilson's review at Slate states the album "pulls too many punches". Wilson criticises the action scenes for lacking a sense of menace, saying the album seems "sealed inside a nicey-nice musical-theater bubble". He gives examples of the Warriors' easy acceptance of Swan's and Mercy's "queer love", and the fact the story features only a single gun, which "doesn't feel like it has anything to do with gang life now". According to Wilson, Miranda's and Davis's storytelling feels restricted by 2024 politics, "as if there's so much they cannot say, so much that many people really feel we can't discuss right now lest it be seized on and misused in bad faith".[31]
Both Slate and Vulture noted the album's big-name hip-hop stars do not appear beyond the first track, the latter saying spreading out these cameos may have helped prevent the album being seen as "nuclear-grade cringe" by rap fans.[26] Similarly, Slate said Miranda benefits from the second-hand credibility these artists bring because his version of hip-hop "smacks of corniness to those who aren't already musical-theater fans".[31]
Craig Jenkins of Vulture said Warriors showcases many of Miranda's positive traits as a songwriter, but also less positive "quirks" that are "sources of the deserved gripes against him". According to Jenkins, Miranda is "plagued by" "occasional G-rated schmaltz", and tends toward an "overbearing maximalism and good-intentioned liberalism", which can sometimes "wring an uplifting takeaway from an objectively bleak situation".[26]
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