Offset, 21 Savage, & Metro Boomin's "Without Warning" - First Impressions

When Future and Young Thug announced "Super Slimey" on October 20th, the internet seemed to lose their minds. The surprise nature of the drop brought a certain level of excitement unobtainable by the more traditional slow-roll; it's a trend employed with success by A-List artists like Radiohead, Beyonce, J Cole, and Drake, and the ranks are growing every month. Today, Offset, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin joined forces to release a brand new mixtape called "Without Warning," and the dark album has already left a hell of an impression. With some eerie, nightmarish production from potential 2017 MVP Metro Boomin, Without Warning is the perfect encapsulation of a Halloween stroll through the trap.

Many have already cemented this "the year of Offset," and the Migos rapper is in fine form here. Coming off a high profile proposal to now-fiancee Cardi B, Offset may very well have cemented himself as the voice of the new school. Take "Ric Flair Drip" for example, in which Offset proves that an up-and-comer can flow as well as any vet. Playing the ice cold straight-man to Offset's animated persona, 21 Savage lives up to his name on Without Warning, delivering savage bars like "Hurricane Irma on my neck, n***a, flooded out, Hurricane Harvey on my wrist, shit, flooded out." Where Offset is prone to spitting dexterous flows, 21 Savage chooses his words carefully, delivering them with a lack of mercy that would make Jason Vorhees proud.

And that's not even talking about Metro's production. The young legend has been defining the dark-banger for years now, and Without Warning is the perfect canvas for his eerie, haunting trap sound. Building on the foundation he set on Gucci Mane's Droptopwop, Metro takes things even deeper into the shadows, taking the horror movie theme and running without abandon. Suffice it to say, Without Warning has made this a Halloween to remember, and if the early impressions are any indication, its longevity will go well beyond that. 

Without Warning