This week, Offset, 21 Savage, and Metro Boomin dropped off a surprise collab tape for Halloween and it's filled with hella spooky tunes from the three Atlanta mainstays. And, like we like to do over here at culture vulture central (according to haters, nonbelievers, and various rappers), we're going to compare this tape made by two rappers to another tape made by two rappers. Without Warning has a defined tone, amazing track names, and some standout hooks—but is it better than Watch The Throne?
Overall, I wish I liked it better, but it's not bad for a surprise drop. And, like I highlighted some of Future's most depraved lines when I compared Super Slimey to Watch the Throne, I took the liberty of picking out 21's most savage lines. Let's see how Without Warning compares to the greatest rap album of all time (according to Rap Twitter).
“No Church in the Wild” vs. “Ghostface Killers”
This is tougher than I thought it would be. I love both intros and No Warning’s first track is named after my all-time favorite rapper, while the Throne features my other favorite: Jigga. “No Church in the Wild” is just too epic, though. It sets the table gracefully. It sounds like my grandfather’s prayer before Thanksgiving dinner, except it’s not as long and the album isn’t cold when you sit down to hear the rest of it.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
“Mad Max nigga, yeah I hang with the killers
Planet of the Apes, yeah I hang around gorillas”
“Lift Off” vs. “Rap Saved Me”
This is easy. Nobody listens to “Lift Off on purpose.
Winner:Without Warning
Most savage 21 lines:
“I'm gangbanging, and I'm dangerous
Smith & Wesson, and it's stainless
Brand new Rari, I'm finna paint it
She took a xanny, then she fainted
I'm from the gutter, ain't no changing”
“Niggas In Paris” vs. “Ric Flair Dip”
“Ric Flair Drip” is one of my favorite tracks on the tape, but it’s in no way shape or form banging with “Niggas In Paris.” The chorus is pretty great, though. “Ric Flair drip go "woo" on a bitch” will be whispered and shouted until the end of days. I only speak in facts.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
N/A
“Otis” vs. “My Choppa Hate Niggas”
Jesus, what is 21’s problem? The guy is really a savage. As much as I like “My Choppa Hate Niggas,” there aren’t many rap songs better than “Otis.” I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going with the Throne on this one.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
“I call it KKK, 'cause my choppa hate niggas”
“Gotta Have It” vs. “Nightmare”
Not for nothing, but Offset really came with the pop culture references on this tape. This is another banger that unfortunately can’t stack up to the song it’s matched up against.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
N/A
“New Day” vs. “Mad Stalkers”
“New Day” is a deep, introspective track about Jay and Ye’s unborn children. “Mad Stalkers” is about sex, money, and murder. Offset and 21 talk about kids, too, but in a different way. Advantage: Without Warning, because I like Offset’s verse and the production.
Winner:Without Warning
Most savage 21 lines:
“Fuck the other side, catch a body, sending hits
You call that shit extended clip, we call that bitch a dick”
“That’s My Bitch” vs. “Disrespectful”
Man, I’m really fucking with the bounce on “Disrespectful” but “That’s My Bitch” is a classic track in my book. Game, Throne.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
“Gucci on my pickle, nut right on her nipple”
“Welcome to the Jungle” vs. “Run Up the Racks”
“Welcome to the Jungle” wins easy with that dumb ass beat. Shit sounds like a fiend tryna plot on a air conditioner three stories up on a mid summer’s night.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
“Time to blast off, mask off like I'm mad dog
Turned it to a murder trap
Then robbed 'em for a bag dog”
“Who Gon Stop Me” vs. “Still Serving”
“Still Serving,” I think, is my favorite track on Without Warning, yet it still can’t bang with the multiple beat flips on “Who Gon Stop Me” and Jigga blacking on the last verse. Throne wins this one pretty easily.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
“Go against the gang and it cost him
Made a diss song and I offed him
I take niggas off, I don't take losses”
“Murder to Excellence” vs. “Darth Vader”
Without Warning tried to come for the Throne’s neck with the cool name on their last track, but it can’t box with God. “Darth Vader” is great in its own right—it has Metro’s spacey production, Offset’s rapid fire flows, and 21’s psychopathic calmness—but “Murder to Excellence” is just too epic, too masterful, too much Jay, and too much Kanye. The Throne wins this one.
Winner:Watch the Throne
Most savage 21 lines:
“Peel a hot box then we did a drive-by
Get your kids out the street we finna slide by
I came up robbin' real dangerous
They done made a street nigga famous”
There you have it, folks. Watch the Throne beats Without Warning eight songs to two—not counting "Made in America," "Why I Love You," "Illest Motherfucker Alive," "H.A.M.," "Primetime," and "The Joy."
