Without Warning is an apt title - the project, helmed by three of Atlanta’s hottest commodities, was announced literally hours before it dropped. Future & Young Thug pulled the same move last week. Keeping your fans on their toes and aiming to create genuine moments in the culture seems to be goal here, something these Atlanta cats seem to truly excel at. It’s safe to say that Metro Boomin, 21 Savage and Offset of the Migos have definitely put the game in a frenzy with this one.
“Without warning” is also exactly how Offset dunked on 21 Savage throughout this tape - to the point where 21 starts late-album cut, “Mad Stalkers,” by rapping, “hold on, let me kick my shit.” Throughout the entire project it feels like 21 is trying to wrestle the spotlight from Offset. Only, it doesn't feel like he's trying all that hard. Maybe his new boo, Amber Rose, has him a bit too preoccupied to be going toe-to-toe with Offset (who, on the other hand, might be sharpening his lyrical sword even when kicking it with his fiancee, Cardi B).
Point being, he knows it, we know it, Offset knows it - the newly unleashed Migos member ate this entire tape and it’s clear as day. This isn’t even a shot at Mr. Savage. It’s hard to imagine anyone standing in Offset’s way at this moment in time. If anything, we’re sure Metro and 21 knew what they were doing here; Offset is the chosen one, the next Prince of Atlanta, and the rest of the city is doing its due diligence to put him on.
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t even matter all that much, does it? Reducing every rap discussion to "x is better than y" removes all the nuance from the artform. 21 and Offset have completely different styles and the former, to be fair, does indeed kick his shit when he gets the chance. It’s just that since he last got out of jail, back in December of 2015, Offset has hit the gas and never looked back. And this consistency is worth praising.
Excluding their individual tracks, this newly formed duo have 6 tracks together on this project. So, without further ado, here are 6 moments where Set unapologetically raps circles around his good friend, 21 (and Travis Scott and Quavo for that matter).
“Ghostface Killers (ft. Travis Scott)”
This one has to be self-explanatory. It’s the intro for a reason. It places Offset front & center and sees him delivering a slick, infectious hook that interpolate Travis Scott and 21 Savage’s previous collaboration, “Outside,” shout out Wu-Tang, and name drop the Bentley Mulsanne. 21 is sinister as ever (hard not to be when your first line goes, “Kim Jong, yeah big bombs”) and Travis delivers a catchy verse, but Offset steals the show with his simple yet layered rhyme schemes, flow switch-ups and colorful imagery.
“Michael Jackson with the fashion,” indeed.
“Rap Saved Me (ft. Quavo)”
“Where’s the money? Where...where is the paper?” Before he even starts rapping about his “A-list status” and “his & her Pateks,” before he likens the drugs he used to peddle to “addict perfume,” before he describes having a “$25 million mood,” Offset uses his opening bar as a battle cry of sorts. 21 is servicable, especially on the captivating hook, but it says a lot that Offset manages to leave such a lasting impression with half the bars. To be completely fair, Quavo also shows up with one of his best features in recent memory, but this list is about Offset outrappin’ 21 so it still counts!
"Mad Stalkers"
As we mentioned in the intro, 21 does indeed kick his shit on here (“On my face, it’s a dagger”), but it’s effectively outshined by Offset’s relentless opening verse. He embraces 21’s usual Shottas references, comparing himself to Biggs, claims to "drip sauce like relish," and blows our collective minds by stating that he's, “breathing with this water like gills.” Wow. If you need more, just wait until he hits that rambling, auctioneer-flow for the last four bars:
“I met some enemies, could've bought a helicopter
Do the surgery on the coupe like a doctor (skrt)
Heard that n**** popped a couple goblins (brr)
Gang, gang nigga, fuck the opposite”
"Disrespectful"
The way 21 intros this record is one of the highlights of the entire tape (along with Offset’s singular, “you dig?” after Metro’s tag), and he finds his groove for sure. The entire hurricane/flood it out sequence is eerie in classic 21 x Metro fashion, but it all feels like a setup for Offset to switch the flow up, as usual. “I got the skeleton, 41, that’s a big size difference, Richard Mille, one-of-one, that was a wise investment,” he coaches us, tentatively flirting with the beat before shifting into high gear. “Birds that sing like the Isley’s” might be the best bar on the whole tape.
"Still Serving"
On this penultimate track, 21 slows things down a bit too much, gets a bit too comfortable in his groove, to even attempt to leave a dent in Offset’s closing verse. Before the latter MC spits, “diamonds on my throat, I’m the GOAT,” he makes sure to showcase enough playful changes in flow, hard-hitting one-liners and vicious threats to backup his claim. When he brags, “55 year old asking for a photo,” then proceeds to ad-lib, “here, ugh,” like he’s disgusted at just how famous he is, it feels oddly poignant. In the middle of all this, he also manages to somehow rhyme “homicide” with “paparazzi” - so you tell us who really showed out here.
"Darth Vader"
Where the last few songs have felt like 21 x Metro joints that Offset decided to renegade (because he’s a savage like that), this final track - like the intro that set off the whole show - seems to be Offset’s brainchild. While 21 gets the line that most aptly sums of up the premise of the entire project (“They done made a street n**** famous”), the entire verse is still extremely standard fair. No matter how hilariously great, “I got Tom Ford all on my buckle, I just talk to my accountant and I chuckle,“ might be, “Darth Vader” sees Offset deliver his most versatile performance on the tape and successfully complete the victory lap he’s been taking the entire project. The flow is syrupy, calling back to multiple fan-favorite flows of his. The hook is anthemic and victorious and his verse bounces all over the atmospheric Metro Boomin backdrop, creating its own boundaries.
Sure, this list points out how Offset got the best of his partner at every turn, but it's all in good fun. In the end, 21 Savage and Offset prove to be better foils for each other than anyone could have predicted. Here’s to hoping Without Warning II is already in the works!
Let us know who you think went harder on Without Warning in the comments.