If you've been on any form of social media in the past five months, you've probably heard of the musical "Hamilton". Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, previously known for his musical "In the Heights" which was awarded multiple Tony and Drama Desk awards, "Hamilton" is about the founding father Alexander Hamilton and his role in the creation of the United States of America. Since mid-September when the soundtrack was released, this musical has gained an enormous amount of attention and excitement, particularly with millennial audiences. This brings to question for many non-fans, is "Hamilton" worth all of the hype? To help ease your minds, here is a list of reasons of why it is in fact, worth it.

1. The music and writing are genius

Lin-Manuel Miranda has quite a way with words and he has created 46 songs that are all emotionally invigorating, compelling, and extremely clever. What's more is that this is a hip hop musical, using a musical style that has long been forgotten when it comes to musical theatre. Miranda's use of rap to tell the story of the founding of the United States of America brings this amazing genre musical into the public eye, and also brings a deeper appreciation of the culture surrounding it to those who were previously unaware. Through the music and the lyrics, Miranda tells the growth of Alexander Hamilton throughout his life, from birth to death, in a way that makes it relatable to the public. Miranda ties the plight of this man and those around him directly to contemporary issues that we are facing today as a country. With lines such as "This is not a moment, it's the movement" and the echo throughout the musical of "Rise Up!" in regards to throwing off the oppression of Great Britain in the 1700s, Miranda has written a story that is directly relatable to the issue of racism and oppression within our country today.

2. Diversity and representation matter

Within "Hamilton", it is specifically stipulated that many of the characters be played by people of color. This has made the cast of the musical one of the most diverse casts to grace a Broadway stage in a long while. These actors are incredibly talented, but their presence makes the show a lot more accessible to a wider audience; this is not a history lesson pulled straight from a white-washed textbook, but instead is a live performance where the actors are able to demonstrate why the story of the Revolution and the founding of this nation is one that belongs to every citizen of this country, not just the white upper class. Also, the diversity of the cast is extremely important in that this musical is allowing young children to be inspired and wholly believe that they have a place in musical theatre, too.

3. Engaging and accurate history lesson

Often times, despite the fact that American history is a subject covered in public school, the many details of the Revolution and of our nation's past are pushed aside or forgotten. This practice of teaching selective history is very dangerous for new generations, and is something this musical combats. It does not paint all of the founding fathers as these infallible war heroes, but instead lets us see their flaws and errors blatantly, and analyzes how said flaws impacted the shaping of our nation. Lin-Manuel Miranda started writing "Hamilton" after reading a biography about Alexander Hamilton, but branched off of that and did immense amounts of research into all of the founding fathers and other historical figures, so that on stage they were accurately depicted. Instead of going along with the history lessons taught in classrooms, the musical fleshes them out and provides actual historic events to teach its audience members about the difficulties the founding fathers faced and caused.

4. It's becoming more and more accessible to the public.

One of the major problems with Broadway has been that it just isn't accessible to most people. Tickets range from $100 to $800 depending on the show, and then travel costs to and from New York have to be taken into account. Theatre has often been an art form that gives voice to those who need it, and tells stories which need to be told, but when the vast majority of the public cannot afford to see the productions, how effective is theatre, specifically Broadway, really? Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast and producers of "Hamilton" have worked exceedingly hard to try and make the musical more readily accessible. The soundtrack, containing all of the musical numbers but one, was released to the public back in September, on iTunes, Spotify, Amazing Music, AppleMusic, and more, which has allowed many fans to listen to it for free. The show also has a lottery for each performance, where up to 21 lucky individuals can win $10 front row tickets. Even more, Miranda pushed for NYC children to be able to get extremely discounted tickets with their schools, allowing many city students to see the musical when otherwise they would never have had the chance. Through social media, Miranda interacts with many of his fans and produces Ham4Ham videos, which are meant to be fun short performances so that all fans can see aspects of the show. There is also talk about filming the musical so that everyone who cannot afford tickets or to travel will soon be able to experience the show as well.

5. The technical aspects are breathtaking.

This item is one that not all fans can experience, as it requires seeing the show live, or watching the video clips posted online of the various numbers, but it is important to note the amount of creativity and genius that went into designing the show. The set is versatile and features two turntables which can rotate in opposite directions, staircases which can move, and is very beautiful to look at. The lighting design created a unique feeling for each number and had many wow-factor moments; at one point the set looks like it's under water. At another point, there seems to be a hurricane on stage. The costumes are beautiful and intricate, but also match the simplicity of the time period. One of the most impressive aspects was the choreography throughout the musical. Many Ensemble members danced gracefully across the stage in a variety of movements which were haunting and enchanting; their movements told a great deal of the story. All in all, the various technical aspects of the show bring the musical to a whole new level.

6. Bonus: Both Barack Obama and Beyoncé loved it!

The constant talk about "Hamilton" may seem overwhelming at times, but this musical is very important in many ways. Not only is it addressing contemporary issues through a historical lens, but it's reshaping how we view theatre as a whole. Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast and crew of "Hamilton" have set the bar extremely high for all new shows to come.