A Rapper's Look At HAMILTON; Talib Kweli Takes His Shot

It's a question that comes up whenever a Broadway musical ventures into musical territory that isn't the tradition showtune. Whether it's rock, jazz, bluegrass or Afrobeat, those in the music industry want to know, "Is it authentic?"

Often the answer is negative, which is natural because the story-telling needs of musical theatre place a great deal of emphasis on the lyrics and a song's ability to be staged as part of a narrative. But perhaps the answer would be different when Broadway composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda puts rap on the stage; a genre keenly focused on storytelling and wordplay.

Lauretta Charton from Vulture asked Brooklyn-born rapper Talib Kweli for his analysis of Hamilton. A rap artist since 1995, Kweli is known as a political and social activist whose lyrics touch on topics like racial stereotyping, police brutality and prison reform. His grandfather was Broadway actor Stanley Greene, also known for playing Uncle Henry in the film version of THE WIZ.

The article states that Kweli sees Hamilton as, "a tribute to rap's strength and malleability - its tendency to fall back on itself while also figuring out new ways to evolve."

He points out how the overlap between rap and traditional musical theatre can be seen in how the show is cast.

"The guy who plays Jefferson (Daveed Diggs), as soon he came onstage and did a couple of bars, I was like, 'That's an MC. That's not a traditional Broadway dude. That's a guy who raps and was put in this play because he raps.'"

Kweli had previously seen Christopher Jackson on Broadway in HOLLER IF YOU HEAR ME, based on the work of Tupac Shakur, and of his performance as George Washington, he says, "Here's a guy who is clearly, clearly classically trained in Broadway, and he's bringing it all. He's singing songs, but he's also rapping proficiently. With him, I couldn't tell whether he grew up rapping or if he had to learn it to do these plays, but either way, I could tell he's in touch with hip-hop culture."

Kweli is also very complimentary about the score itself.

"The show definitely comes from the type of hip-hop that's based on spoken word and poetry, the hip-hop that I grew up on - the hip-hop of the late '80s and early '90s. It has that rhythm, style, and tradition. That's definitely what Lin-Manuel as an artist is inspired by. But I definitely think he's a hip-hop liberal, meaning that he's not stuffy or fogyish about his hip-hop. Even though he might like hip-hop from the early '90s, he understands that hip-hop changed, and you see that growth in the songs."

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The new musical Hamilton has book, music and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award-winning composerLin-Manuel Miranda, who also plays the title role. The musical is directed by Thomas Kail, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and music direction and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire. Hamilton is inspired by Ron Chernow's biography "Alexander Hamilton."

The cast of Hamilton is comprised of Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton), Daveed Diggs(Marquis De Lafayette,Thomas Jefferson), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler),Christopher Jackson (George Washington),Jonathan Groff (King George), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler, Maria Reynolds), Javier Muñoz (Hamilton alternate), Okieriete Onaodowan(Hercules Mulligan, James Madison), Leslie Odom, Jr. (Aaron Burr),Anthony Ramos(John Laurens, Philip Hamilton) and Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton).

Tony nominee Andrew Rannells fills in for Jonathan Groff as King George from October 27 to November 29.

HAMILTON is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions. During his life cut too short, he served as George Washington's chief aide, was the first Treasury Secretary, a loving husband and father, despised by his fellow Founding Fathers and shot to death byAaron Burr in their legendary duel.