{"id":112191,"date":"2016-02-27T22:52:18","date_gmt":"2016-02-27T22:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/02\/27\/why-hamilton-is-a-rappers-delight\/"},"modified":"2016-02-27T22:52:18","modified_gmt":"2016-02-27T22:52:18","slug":"why-hamilton-is-a-rappers-delight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/02\/27\/why-hamilton-is-a-rappers-delight\/","title":{"rendered":"why hamilton is a rapper\u2019s delight"},"content":{"rendered":"

perplexistan<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

There\u2019s a moment at the beginning of \u201cMy Shot,\u201d<\/a> the third song in Hamilton, when our protagonist spells out his name in triumphant defiance of the odds against him:\u00a0\u201cA-L, E-X, A-N-D \/ E-R \/ we are \/ meant to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first time I heard it, my head snapped, because I recognized the callout immediately. He\u2019s imitating Biggie in\u00a0\u201cGoing Back To Cali\u201d<\/a>: \u201cImma spell my name one more time, check it \/\u00a0It\u2019s the, N-O, T-O, R-I, O \/
U-S \/ you just \/ lay down \/ slow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I was like, oh yes, it is on<\/i>. Much of the brilliance of Hamilton is in how Lin-Manuel Miranda manages to incorporate every musical style from Sondheim to pop to R&B to create something totally new and infectious (he raps a reference to Gilbert & Sullivan for god\u2019s sake). This piece<\/a> called Miranda a \u201chuman iPod shuffle\u201d and it\u2019s hard to disagree. He elevates American art forms like jazz, musical theater and rap to tell the story of a bunch of old white dudes in the 18th century and makes it downright riveting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the hip hop references that really make the show sing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, you don\u2019t have<\/i> to be a fan of hip hop and R&B to love the music, but if you are, prepare to be gone till November. The entire soundtrack is littered with Easter eggs. Some are direct (\u201cTen Duel Commandments\u201d<\/a> is a nod to Biggie\u2019s \u201cTen Crack Commandments\u201d<\/a>); others are more subtle (listen to \u201cHelpless\u201d<\/a> for shades of Beyonce\u2019s \u201cCountdown.\u201d<\/a>) Play\u00a0\u201cMeet Me Inside\u201d<\/a> and then DMX\u2019s\u00a0\u201cParty Up (In Here)\u201d<\/a> and marvel. Listen to \u201cRight-Hand Man\u201d<\/a> for Jay Z in \u201cOn To the Next One.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Find the Fugees references and message me, you get a prize.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way I could go through all of them, but let\u2019s just look at one song as a dope example: \u201cCabinet Battle #1.\u201d<\/a> First of all, you\u2019d never know you needed a rap battle between Jefferson and Hamilton in your life until you hear this, and then you\u2019re like, goddamit how did I live without it? A rap battle is, at its heart, a tennis match of wits and verbal one-upsmanship. It\u2019s the perfect frame for something that could be incredibly boring: a debate over policy. And what a debate it is. So let\u2019s go through some of my favorite callbacks, shall we?\u00a0<\/p>\n