A Case for Hamilton

Hamilton is a musical that has taken Broadway by storm. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the show, began to write it after he read a biography of the Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. Miranda has said that as he was reading it, he found striking similarities to hip-hop culture, and even looked up if someone had created a hip-hop Broadway musical about Hamilton. It won 11 out of its record-setting 16 nominations, and it won a Grammy and a Pulitzer Prize. The musical isn’t just about Hamilton’s economic policies; it goes through his life and his hardships, touching on his affairs, his children, and his relationships with other revolutionaries. Lafayette is quite prominent, especially in the song Guns and Ships which features Lafayette rapping (in a French accent, no less)- a lot. Daveed Diggs, who plays Lafayette, was dubbed the fastest rapper on Broadway. Most people don’t think that rapping, Broadway, and United States history can go to together, but Hamilton proves that this is possible. And Hamilton is another thing entirely, other than a musical. It’s politically charged. The songs speak of the double standards between men and women, social status, the morality of slavery, and so much more. It can be observed that Hamilton addresses current political woes, like the state of our nation and how we handle foreign affairs. Echoes of movements that have come much later than the Revolution pop up, like the fight for equal rights and abolition. It manages to combine romance, action, tragedy, comedy, and history. So if you like any of those things, check it out. The musical is currently in New York and has been sold out for a while now, but you can listen to the album. It’s still possible to understand the musical by just listening to the songs, and the entire album is on Youtube.