The concept album for new Broadway musical Warriors has been released.
Released today, 18 October 2024, by Atlantic Records, the show is the latest from Tony and Olivier Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and award-winning actor, writer and songwriter Eisa Davis (Bulrusher, Angela’s Mixtape).
The 26 song album is executive produced by Grammy Award-winner rapper Nas, and produced by Grammy Award-winner Mike Elizondo.
Warriors is inspired by the 1979 cult Paramount Pictures movie “The Warriors”, based on Sol Yurick’s novel, and was originally teased last August.
In a departure from the original movie, the concept album features an all-female band of warriors, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones as Swan, Julia K Harriman as Mercy, Gizel Jiménez as Rembrandt, Amber Gray as Ajax, Aneesa Folds as Cleon, Sasha Hutchings as Cowgirl, Kenita Miller as Cochise, and Phillipa Soo as Fox.
They are joined by Grammy-winning rapper Ms. Lauryn Hill as Cyrus of The Gramercy Riffs.
Also appearing on the album are a wide group of both rappers and musical theatre stars, including: Busta Rhymes as The Voice of Brooklyn; The Bizzies members Stephen Sanchez as Cal, Joshua Henry as Wanya, Timothy Hughes as Lance, and Daniel Jikal as Joon; Shenseea as DJ Lynne Pen; The Rogues members Kim Dracula as Luther and Alex Boniello as Cropsy; Gramercy Riffs members Nas as Queens and Colman Domingo as Masai; Cam’ron as Manhattan; original film stars James Remar and David Patrick Kelly as The Cops; The Hurricanes members Billy Porter as Grander, Michaela Jaé as Yaya, and Mykal Kilgore as Élan; The Orphans members Utkarsh Ambudkar as Sully and Casey Likes as Jesse; rap artists Ghostface Killah and RZA as the voices of Staten Island; and Turnbull AC’s members Marc Anthony as Tato, Luis Figueroa as Miguel, Flaco Navaja as Jesús, and Chris Rivers as The Bronx.
The Warriors album is an immersive listening experience that follows a fictitious New York City gang from Coney Island to the Bronx and back when they are framed for the murder of a respected gang leader, Cyrus.
The album is already getting a positive response from critics, with Chris Wiegand in The Guardian giving the album five-stars, and hailing it as a “firecracker musical”, and “his large cast is marshalled with the same brio Miranda showed in Hamilton.” Wiegand also says that, “One of the album’s joys is its unexpected pairings, especially how musical theatre stars are matched with acts from other genres.”
Check out an interview, below, with Playbill, and also a great interview with Miranda & Davis in TimeOut New York.
Lin-Manuel Miranda & Eisa Davis said in a joint statement when the project was first announced: “We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island. Along the way we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and we’ll be announcing their roles on the album in the weeks ahead. We can’t wait to share these songs with you on October 18th.”
The Warriors is available to stream here.
UPDATES: First published 1 August 2024 with news of The Warriors concept album; Updated 18 October 2024 with news about the release and reviews
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