It’s no surprise that the cast album for the hit musical Hamilton debuted on the rap Billboard charts at number 12 and now has broken records in the number one spot. This accolade is a testament to the power of the musicals’ message which really isn’t just about Alexander Hamilton. The question is, with the plethora of rap music readily available, why is a broadway cast album number one? How did the cast album beat out artists who are exclusively devoted to rap music like Fetty Wap, Drake and Future and The Game? In my opinion it’s because the music resonates. Lin-Manuel Miranda has spoken previously about how Hip Hop is the perfect language to tell the story of the founding fathers and he is correct.
The music of Hamilton feels true. It feels real to the listener. It hearkens back to the very best of what we know rap and the culture of hip hop can be because it tells the story of a man who desperately wanted to make it. Manuel’s songs of struggle, misunderstanding, triumph and failure in the musical make Alexander Hamilton, who many only knew as a man from bit of far away American history into every man. In a world where “Trap Queen” and “Hot Line Bling” describes fantastical situations that many of us don’t ever experience, the music of Hamilton tells the rest of our stories in a lyrical language that we can all understand.The universality of the story, the power of the music and drive of the arrangements envelope the listener in a story that could reflect any one of us. Hamilton captures all of us in one way or another and we have responded by making it number one.
Rappers beware. The important message is that the tides are turning and there is now a return to artistry in rap music and audiences are proving that it’s exactly what they want to hear. It is not limited by ethnicity and cannot be contained by the hood. Hamilton has turned the world of Broadway on its ear and now its coming for the music industry and I suspect Manuel will not be throwing away his shot.
