Essay On Lin Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American composer, lyricist, playwright, and actor. Miranda was born around the 1980s in New York City. He was raised in the Inwood, Manhattan which is also known as Washington Heights and is of Puerto Rican descent. His neighborhood has had an affect on his musical stylings such as salsa, hip hop, and rap. He is a big activist and even joined Democratic lawmakers in a call for a Senate bill which would allow Puerto Rico to declare bankruptcy in order to ease debt. Miranda is also a proud owner of an Emmy, 3 Grammys, 11 Tonys, and a Pulitzer Prize. Overall, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a modern composer with a latin and rap twist with an influence of hip hop culture on Broadway that is directed towards upper class people who usually look down on black culture. His most famous works, In the Heights and Hamilton, are award-winning hits with musical stylings of hip hop and rap culture.

The difference between his musicals and all the rest is that his are very modern and he includes what some might call a “black” soul.

He mixes musical theatre and rap which before was a predominant feature in the musical, Rent. There is a lack of influence of hip hop culture on Broadway although urban culture is becoming more mainstream. His musicals persuades the upper class towards a different view on hip hop culture and Hamilton was even hit #1 on the rap charts.
Miranda’s most famous works incorporate his descent and the environment he grew up in. This has had a great influence on pop culture. Many people view rap music as “hood”, “ghetto”, “street”, or “gangster” type music. In Miranda’s first musical was In the Heights, which was a musical with a story set over three days involving characters in the largely Dominican part of New York

City.
His most famous work and box office success, Hamilton, tells the story of founding father, Alexander Hamilton, “ From bastard orphan to Washington's right-hand man, rebel to war hero, a loving husband caught in the country's first sex scandal, to the Treasury head who made an untrusting world believe in the American economy.” (Broadway 1). In the process, Hamilton shaped the America we know today. Hamilton- both the musical and person helps us all to realize the true potential of The American Dream. Hamilton has been a huge success thus far not only culturally but also monetary wise. The show makes about 100 million dollars per year, around 1.9 million dollars per week. It has made a total of 331,216,469 dollars. “It’s one of those rare cultural phenomena that reaches beyond its genre and infiltrates the broader conversation. Fourth graders love the show as much as 80-year-olds. Hip-hop fans and history buffs alike are giddy over its inspirational.” (Fast Company). And there are many more reviews exactly like this.“'Hamilton' is the most exciting and significant musical of the decade. Sensationally potent and theatrically vital, it is plugged straight into the wall socket of contemporary music. This show makes me feel hopeful for the future of musical theater.” (Terry Teachout). Throughout its 4 year run and over 1,491,758 seats sold overall there is a continuing persist of good reviews.
In Conclusion, Lin-Manuel Miranda is most known for including rap and hip hop which is rare in musical theatre. His influence of hip hop culture on Broadway makes him different through examining rap from cultures as diverse. Rap has a difficult content in the way grammar is analyzed. His rap should be considered poetry. Much like Tupac, Common, and many other ‘90s rappers that came before him, Lin-Manuel Miranda raps about real issues in society.