Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pulitzer Prize finalist Eisa Davis are set to release a new concept album titled WARRIORS, inspired by the cult-classic 1979 film The Warriors and its source novel by Sol Yurick.
The 26-song project, which will be available everywhere on Oct. 18 via Atlantic Records, 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.
“We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island,” the co-writers stated in a joint announcement. “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 Oct. 18.”
Trending on Billboard
The project boasts some serious hip-hop credentials behind the scenes. Grammy Award-winning rapper Nas serves as executive producer, bringing his New York City roots to the table. Meanwhile, Grammy-winning musician Mike Elizondo takes the helm as producer.
While the full cast remains under wraps, the creators tease a “star-studded” lineup of voices to be revealed in the coming weeks. Lin-Manuel Miranda has already achieved notable Billboard success with projects like Hamilton, The Hamilton Mixtape, and the Encanto soundtrack.
Hamilton‘s cast recording won a Grammy in 2016 for best musical theater album. It became the first-ever Broadway cast recording to be certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The Hamilton Mixtape debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and Encanto‘s soundtrack, featuring the hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” dominated the charts, making Miranda Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songwriter of 2022. He also contributed to the Moana soundtrack, earning a Grammy and an Oscar nomination for “How Far I’ll Go.”
The project also adds to the diverse body of work of Eisa Davis, who is an award-winning actor, writer, and singer-songwriter known for her work on stage and screen.
Davis was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Bulrusher and wrote and starred in Angela’s Mixtape. She’s also written for television series such as Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It and FX’s Justified: City Primeval, and she has appeared in numerous theater productions and films.
WARRIORS is out Oct. 18