Hamilton Mixtape, Various artists

Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: the revolution
I thought it would be interesting to examine a new iteration of previously existing songs and assess the value of
pop-ifying musical theatre songs, a tradition that extends to the radio hits of Jesus Christ Superstar but has
not made the same transition in this decade. It begs the question of whether songs integral to a narrative, and
thereby being narrative songs, can both exist out of context without changes and whether they work with singers
who are uniquely concerned with making an appealing sound over telling a story. With Satisfied, the Sia
version is very faithful to the original, albeit with different vocal inflections and freer orchestrations, more
synthesisers and varied digital sounds.
Kelly Clarksons Its Quiet Uptown dispels with the duologue between Angelica and Hamilton and becomes a
solo with more electronic orchestrations; this examines the durability of these songs in the hands of non-actors.
Equally the returning motifs from the whole show struggle to work outside of context and might seem like
incongruous insertions.
Wrote My Way Out fares very well in a new context and highlights the intimate relationship Hamilton has
with the rap genre and the salience of the rap story - rags to riches, arrogance, hubris, ambition - all applicable
to watching the throne with Jay-Z and Kanye West. It demonstrates raps ability to tell stories and the durability
of elements of the orchestrations applied to more conventional raps songs; Mirandas freer rapping style stands
up against NAS and Aloe Blacc, gives him a platform with fewer limitations to reflect on his role as a writer and
storyteller, referring to his own works (I know abuela will never win the lottery - which is why he needs to
write a story in which she does.) The R&B vocals are just as affecting in this iteration of the song and testify to
Leslie Odom Jr.s versatility.
Immigrants samples Yorktown and questions why immigrant has become a dirty word. Its a very effective
version, almost too close to home in these times, of the song that would fit anywhere on any Kendrick Lamar
album. Theres even a verse by British-Pakistani Riz MC (who trained at Central after graduating from Oxford
no less - very exciting for me) which brings the comparison between the states and the UK into stark contrast.
Wait for It is another example of where the song musically works outside of context, and it appears the Odoms
vocals might have been influenced by Ushers in the way the latter tackles the song (he has to sing the prechorus up the octave, however, showing the wider skills of the musical theatre perform.)
My Shot again dispels with most of the original lyrics and retains the general melodic architecture of the
original but re-appropriates it - and makes you realise how little needs to be changed to make it a pertinent rap
song. It testifies to how hip-hop this element of the show actually is in the way. Busta Rhymes verse
affectionately illuminates Mirandas influences to those of us who didnt previously know much about rap. The
book accompaniment to the show helps to draw these links between a musical sphere previously unexplored; I
wonder if such dynamic relationships could be articulated between the world of musical theatre and pop music
or rock music, or if other genres are less fruitful and full of imagery and tropes. For example, you could be
anywhere in the world from Cabinet Battle #1 is a direct reference to a rap trope utilized by Jay-Z. Daveed
Diggs Guns and Ships verses are grown lovingly from Busta Rhymes fast delivery.