Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you know what "Hamilton" is. No, not just the founding father, but the musical, well, the hip-hopera about his life.
Basically, Lin-Manuel Miranda (aka our savior) was on vacation after finishing his other Broadway hit, "In The Heights", when he decided to sit back and pick up a biography about Alexander Hamilton, and boy are we glad he did. Fast forward to 2016 and here we are, completely consumed and fascinated with not only the astounding life of Alexander Hamilton, but the remarkable work of Lin-Manuel. If you're not, I highly recommend a google search and your iTunes password because you'll need it.
I first heard of "Hamilton" last year when a few of my classmates mentioned how they have not stopped listening to the soundtrack. I remember my drama class talking about it and honestly it's a blur-or should I say Burr- after that. All I know is that whenever I feel it is an appropriate time for music to be played, I never fail to ask Siri to play my beloved "Hamilton" soundtrack.
Now, if someone told me a year ago that Alexander Hamilton's life would best be told through rap songs, I would have disregarded their comment completely. But after listening to one song and following the cast on every social media platform I have an account on, I'm all in. I don't even know what it is about this beautifully crafted piece of art, but it is all I can think about. It is simply a piece of genius created by the most dedicated, humble nugget of a guy that brings me nothing but joy and the strongest yearning for tickets and a decent singing voice.
But maybe I do know what it is that makes my love for "Hamilton" and Lin grow every time I play my "Hamilton" Pandora station. Maybe there's a reason I tweet lyrics all the time, and why I tag Lin in many of them in hopes of recognition from my favorite guy. Maybe it makes sense why I don't mind when I have a song from the show stuck in my head from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. And maybe there's a perfect explanation to those tears in my eyes as I watched "Hamilton's America" three times over the weekend with goosebumps. If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with the fact that whenever I feel down, there's a song or a story from the show, or even from Lin's life that inspires me to keep going. Having started college as a nervous, lonely, intimidated freshman, the motto that has kept me strong and motivated is "I'm not throwing away my shot". Sure, it's cheesy, but who cares? When I leave my dorm in the morning after listening to the cast recording while getting ready, I feel beyond prepared to take on the day and "work" as hard as the Schuyler sisters to make the world mine. Nothing has pushed me to be as fierce as this musical has.
When you meet someone who shares your fandom over "Hamilton", you have an instant friend. When I see a picture of Lin, I smile. The amount of joy and I feel when informing a friend or family member about my obsession is something I never imagined. I have successfully converted my mom into a Hamilfan and we check for tickets that we could never afford each day. Yeah, it's kind of a bummer that we're this "scrappy and hungry" for a chance to get a peak of the magic, but what can I say? We'll never be "satisfied" until we do, and we're "willing to wait for it". At the end of the day, I know if Thomas Jefferson can rap as fast as he does (shout out to Daveed Diggs), I'll get to see "Hamilton" one day...and Peggy.
