Hamilton and Hip Hop -- is it the right musical style for a show about the founder of the Treasury? (Hamilton 11 of 12, episode 48)

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Lin Manuel Miranda’s mega hit, the musical Hamilton, has got hiphop in it.  Ya can’t miss that, it’s what makes the show distinctive, and most Broadway shows don’t even come close to trying to do it.  Loren Kajikawa put it this way: “Hamilton's engagement with hip hop's history, culture, and aesthetics forms an undeniable part of the musical's appeal. Hamilton deserves to be called a "hip hop musical"

But that raises some questions…some of the traditional themes of hip hop music aren’t exactly  empowering for women.  Or anyone.  There’s also a fair tendency to celebrate violence, especially gun violence.  Is that inherently a part of the hiphop genre, or a sideshow, or is it all merely a metaphor, or is it just true of some songs and not others, or what?

There’s clearly a cultural element to hiphop…but what is it?  Where did hiphop come from, and what does it mean?

And when all those questions are answered it all adds up to one big question for the show Hamiton: What does using the hiphop style of music add, take away, confound, or enhance about the show?  Does it make the show work, detract from it, or not really matter at all?  And…when you listen really closely…IS most of the music really hiphop?

Get your gin, get your juice, sit back, and let’s get our music history on in this episode of Theater History and Mysteries.

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