Anyone not living under a rock at this point has probably heard something about the smash-hit Broadway musical, “Hamilton.” Aside from being referenced repeatedly in pop culture, it has won over 50 awards to date, including a Grammy, a Pulitzer, and 11 Tony Awards. But despite hearing about it constantly, a lot of people still don’t seem to understand what it is. And even if they do, they don’t understand what the big deal is. So in hopes that more people will give the soundtrack a listen or maybe just pretend they’re informed and cultured at parties, here’s your brief summary of the success of “Hamilton.”

What’s it about?

“Hamilton: An American Musical” is a hip-hop musical based around the life of Founding Father and America’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. It follows his story from his impoverished and grief-filled childhood in the Caribbean all the way to (spoiler alert if you haven’t taken a history class in a while) his death at the hands of fellow politician, Aaron Burr. And like most musicals, the story is told through song… In this case, through hip-hop music.

Who exactly thought that was a good idea?

That would be Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creative mastermind behind the music, lyrics, and book. (Book: the general plot or outline of a musical, including any spoken script.) You may know him from his other Tony-and-Grammy-Award-winning hip-hop musical, “In The Heights.” Okay, no, you probably don’t, but that’s where he got his start. And it wasn’t a bad start—he wrote and played a character in the musical, based off of his experiences growing up in Washington Heights and being the child of immigrants. It went to Broadway in 2008, but it never took off in the same way “Hamilton” would.

The same year that his first musical went to Broadway, Miranda took a vacation, picking out a copy of Ron Chernow’s autobiography of Alexander Hamilton for a bit of light reading (classic #beachread). Not long after being captivated by the first chapter, Miranda started working on “a concept album about the life of someone [he thinks] embodies hip-hop: Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.” A year later, he performed the first song, “Alexander Hamilton,” at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word, gaining an important fan: the president of the United States. Another six years and many other projects later, “Hamilton” premiered Off-Broadway.

How was it actually any good?

The short answer is that Miranda put a lot of thought and work into this musical. The writing itself was worth a Pulitzer Prize, one of the highest achievements that a writer can reach. Every character sings/raps in a completely different style (all inspired by Broadway musicals and famous hip-hop artists alike), there's an almost endless amount of themes constantly referred back to while keeping the content original, and the literary devices are just well-though-out and impressive. Every listen reveals something new about the story. On top of that, the cast (original Broadway or otherwise) is extremely talented and diverse in their abilities. Many of them were at least nominated for Tony Awards, including Lin-Manuel Miranda himself who until recently played the lead. (Fun Fact: Daveed Diggs, who plays both Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, holds the record for the fastest lyrics performed on Broadway.) And, to top it all off, the costume design, lighting design, direction, choreography, and orchestrations all won Tony Awards. It’s got a lot going for it.

Why should I care about a historical musical if I fall asleep during history class?

Because this isn’t your average history book. The show is specifically designed to create a connection between American history and those who have never been able to related to it. Only one member of the main cast is white, and he plays King George III. (Yeah, that’s definitely a political statement in case you were wondering.) Every character actually was white, but the show offers a new perspective by casting mostly people of color. American history has long been told in TV shows, movies, and plays by white people and about white people. It’s hard to be proud of a history that you don’t see yourself in. “Hamilton” was created so that non-white Americans could feel like American history was their history, too.

Is this going away anytime soon?

It sure doesn’t look like it. The Broadway show is still going strong with a few new cast members, despite the fact that a lot of Broadway shows struggle to stay afloat even after winning many awards. Although, anyone who’s anyone has already seen it, from John Stamos to Karlie Kloss. It opens in Chicago in October, but it’s already sold out through March. Plus, a national tour and a West End production have been announced. Lin-Manuel Miranda himself has been doing a lot of writing for Disney lately. He composed a song that was featured in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and he wrote more music for the upcoming features “Moana,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” and a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid.” In case you thought television was safe, you can find Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Oct. 8 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” and a PBS special all about “Hamilton” premieres Oct. 21.

If you’re still interested in learning more after all of that, you have a lot of different options: tune in to the PBS special, buy the soundtrack featuring the original Broadway cast, or even scalp a “Hamilton” ticket for $10,000. Whatever is most convenient.