Questlove, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Black Thought for Broadway’s “Hamilton”
-
hamilton-broadway-group-01-bb22-2015-billboard-650
When I did it at the White House for the first few minutes, everyone was like, “What’s happening?” But by the end they’re kind of like, “Ohhhh, we kind of like this.” That has been a microcosm of the Hamilton experience. You say “rapping Founding Fathers,” everyone laughs, and then the first few numbers happen and they go, “Ohhhh, this makes sense.” — Lin-Manuel Miranda
Read More From The Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Collaborators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Super-Fan Barack Obama and Its Political Relevance -
hamilton-broadway-questlove-bb22-2015-billboard-650
“And then along comes Hamilton. Like, dude, finally a reason to come to Broadway. First authentic hip-hop show.” — Questlove
Read More From The Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Collaborators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Super-Fan Barack Obama and Its Political Relevance -
hamilton-broadway-lin-manuel-miranda-bb22-2015-billboard-650
“I remember being in the cast of In the Heights when Obama was running in 2008 and how amazing that felt, because my parents and my parents’ generation were like, “He seems really great, but our country’s just not ready.” And [Hamilton director] Tommy [Kail] always talks about the show like there’s no way this show should exist — except it does. That’s kind of how we felt about Obama’s presidency. There’s no world in which that was going to happen — except it happened. It seems crazy, but it’s real.” – Lin-Manuel Miranda
Read More From The Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Collaborators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Super-Fan Barack Obama and Its Political Relevance -
hamilton-broadway-black-thought-bb22-2015-billboard-425
“This is a country of immigrants. This production is a reminder of that.” — Black Thought
Read More From The Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Collaborators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Super-Fan Barack Obama and Its Political Relevance -
hamilton-broadway-group-03-bb22-2015-billboard-425
“The casting is a bold decision that works, that totally works. I went on a night when Lorne Michaels was in the audience and [playwright] Tracy Letts was there and I just kept looking at their faces, and they were so energetic and entertained by it. And I was like, “OK, so maybe this isn’t as controversial as I thought it would be.” From a hip-hop head perspective, it was thumbs up.” — Questlove
Read More From The Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Collaborators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Super-Fan Barack Obama and Its Political Relevance -
hamilton-broadway-group-02-bb22-2015-billboard-650
“I learned in all of the hullaballoo over the $10 bill that Hamilton actually kicked Jackson off the 10. Jackson used to be on the $10 bill and Hamilton replaced him. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamilton gets a promotion. And then I’ll change the lyrics to “the $20 Founding Father.” As long as it doesn’t f— up my lyric, I’m fine.” – Lin-Manuel Miranda
Read More From The Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Collaborators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Super-Fan Barack Obama and Its Political Relevance