OF GENIUS IN MSNBC'S 7 DAYS OF GENIUS.
GENIUS. HAMILTON, "HAMILTON."
HAMILTON, "HAMILTON." IT IS THE SINGLE HOTTEST TICKET
ANYWHERE OFF OR ON BROAD WAY
WINNING RAVE REVIEWS FROM ANDREW
LLOYD WEB STORY RUPERT MURDOCH.
RECENTLY I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
TO TALK ABOUT THE GENIUS BEHIND
HAMMOND.
HAMMOND. LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA WHO HAS BEEN
WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR
YEARS.
YEARS. >> I'M THRILLED THE WHITE HOUSE
CALLED ME TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M
ACTUALLY WORKING ON A HIP-HOP
ALBUM THAT'S A CONCEPT ALBUM
ABOUT THE LIFE OF SOMEONE I
THINK EMBODIES HIP-HOP, TREASURY
SECRETARY ALEXANDER HAMILTON.
�
� � HOW DOES A BASTAR SON OF THE
WHORE" IN THE CARIBBEAN BY
PROVIDENCE IMPOIFRNER SQUALOR
GROW UP TO A HERO AND SCHOLAR �
>> THEY'RE PROBABLY WEREN'T
EXPECTING A HIP-HOP PERFORMANCE
AS TOLD BY HIS NEMESIS AARON
BURR BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY GOT
FROM ACTOR AND COMPOSER
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA. � INSIDE HE WAS LONGING FOR
SOMETHING TO BE A PART OF THE
BROTHER WAS BEGGING STEAL �
>> WHAT THEY ALSO GOT WAS A VERY
EARLY SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE
BIGGEST HOTTEST TICKET CURRENTLY
OFF BROAD WAY.
SO I STARTED WRITE FWHG 2008.
I WROTE THAT SONG I PERFORMED AT
THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2009.
THE ONLY THING I HAD WRITTEN.
>> THE SHOW'S OPENING NUMBER.
>> THAT SHOW IS CALLED
"HAMILTON."
"HAMILTON." I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO CATCH IT
IN PREVIEWS AFTER ALL LIN-MANUEL
MIRANDA AND I GO WAY BACK TO OUR
DAYS AT HUNTER COLLEGE HIGH
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. AND OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS A
PARADE OF BOLD-FACED NAMES HAVE
MADE THE PILGRIMAGE TO NEW
YORK'S PUBLIC THEATER TO SEE IT
EVERYONE FROM BILL CLINTON TO
PAUL McCARTNEY.
PAUL McCARTNEY. AS HAMILTON LYRIC WILL TELL YOU
THE STORY OF THE $10 FOUNDING
FATHER WITHOUT A FATHER AS
CHRONICLED THROUGH HIP-HOP
ANTHEMS AND R&B BALANCE LATDS
AND YEARS IN THE MAKING.
� MY COUSIN
>> Reporter: FRESH OFF "IN THE
HEIGHTS" FOR WHICH HE WON A TONY
FOR BEST SCORE MIRANDA GOT HIS
INSPIRIT RACE FROM AN 800-BEIGE
BOOK.
BOOK. >> I PICKED UP RON CHERNOW'S
BIOGRAPHY.
BIOGRAPHY. HE CAPTURES THE RELENTLESS OF
HAMILTON AND THAT'S WHEY HOOKED
INTO TOO.
INTO TOO. THIS IS AN IMMIGRANT WHO WROTE
HIS WAY INTO -- TO THE TOP OF
AMERICAN SOCIETY.
AMERICAN SOCIETY. HELPED CREATE THE COUNTRY AND
THEN WROTE HIMSELF OUT OF IT.
>> Reporter: MIRANDA SPENT THE
PAST SEVEN YEARS WORKING ON HIS
LATEST CREATION.
LATEST CREATION. >> I WROTE -- SPENT 2009 WRITING
MY SHOT AND THEN IN 2010 --
>> YOU SPENT A YEAR WRITING
THAT.
THAT. >> I SPENT A YEAR WRITING THAT.
>> WHAT -- THIS IS WHAT IS
FASCINATING.
FASCINATING. WHAT DOES IT MEAN WRITING A
YEAR --
YEAR -- >> HAMILTON IS SO MUCH SMARTER
THAN ME THAT I NEED TO -- THIS
IS THE SONG WHERE HAMILTON LIKE
COMES INTO THE ROOM AND BLOWS
EVERYONE AWAY WITH THE STRENGTH
OF HIS ORATORY AND SO EVERY
COUP
COUP COUPLET HAS TO BE AMAZING.
� NOT THROWING AWAY
>> Reporter: "HAMILTON" NOT ONLY
REINVENTS THE MUSICAL GENRE BUT
AMERICA'S FOUNDING FATHER AND
SHOWING HIM AS WREAKING OF NEW
MONEY, HAMILTON AND HIS
CONTEMPORARIES ARE DEPICTED AS
OVER THE TOP BRAG GUARDS FULL OF
SWAGGER AND WIT.
� TAKE A SHOT
>> NEW MONEY.
>> NEW MONEY, YES.
>> IN FACT, JEFFERSON SAYS
SMELLING LIKE NEW MONEY IN THE
SECOND ACT.
SECOND ACT. >> YEAH, YEAH AND PEOPLE MADE
FUN OF HIM BECAUSE HE
OVERDRESSED LIKE CRAZY.
HE DESIGNED HIS OWN UNIFORMS FOR
HIS OWN LIKE GROUP OF SOLDIERS.
HE WAS LIKE, WELL MY SOLDIERS
ARE WEARING THIS.
IT'S VERY KANYE.
IT'S VERY LIKE -- IT'S VERY
LIKE -- LIKE MY GUYS HAVE TO BE
DRESSED TIGHT.
DRESSED TIGHT. IT'S REALLY QUITE MAD.
>> THE STORY OF ALEXANDER
HAMILTON IS A STORY OF AMBITIOUS
18th CENTURY IMMIGRANT FROM THE
CARIBBEAN.
CARIBBEAN. A MAN WHO BICHIR FORCE OF WILL
HELPED LAY DOWN THE FOUNDATION
FOR A COUNTRY.
UNIQUE AND QUINTESSENTIALALLY
AMERICAN.
AMERICAN. HOW MUCH WAS HE A GENIUS.
>> SURROUNDED BY GENIUS.
>> MORE WATCHING YOUR SHOW MADE
ME REALIZE HOW MUCH OF A GENIUS
HE WAS.
HE WAS. >> YEAH, BECAUSE HE WAS LARGELY
SELF-TAUGHT.
SELF-TAUGHT. HE REALLY WROTE HIS WAY OUT OF
HIS CIRCUMSTANCES AND SORT OF
PLAYED CATCH-UP.
PLAYED CATCH-UP. HE WAS READING ABOUT MONETARY
POLICY DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY
WAR IN THE EVENT HE'D BE CALL TO
SERVE -- LIKE HE WAS THINKING
TEN STEP AS HEAD.
I THINK IF THAT'S THE ESSENCE OF
JEENGS IF IT'S OKAY WE HAVE TO
WIN THIS WAR BUT FIGURE OUT HOW
TO NOT BE IN PERPETUAL
REVOLUTION WHICH IS WHAT WE SEE
ALL OVER THE WORLD TODAY AND
TIME AND TIME THROUGHOUT HISTORY
AN AMERICA STICK THE LANDING AND
FRENCH REVOLUTION WHICH GOES --
WHICH CYCLES FROM CHAOS TO
DICTATOR ROBESPIERRE AND
NAPOLEON AND SAYS WE'RE GOING
THIS WAY AND AMERICAN REALLY
STUCK THE LANDING AND IT'S A
CREDIT TO ONE, YOU KNOW, THE
VIRTUE OF COMING UP IN THE AGE
OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND THESE MEN
WHO THOUGHT HOW DO WE -- THERE
WAS A LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR AND
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
I'M PROUD OF ABOUT THE SHOW IS
THEY COME OFF AS VERY HUMAN AND
THEIR FIGHTS ARE PETTY AND, BUT
THE STAKES ARE A COUNTRY THAT
WILL LAST AND SO THE FIGHTS
BETWEEN HAMILTON AND JEFFERSON
ARE THE FIGHTS YOU'RE STILL
HAVING ON YOUR NETWORK.
� I AM NOT THROWING AWAY MY
SHOT �
SHOT � >> Reporter: THE GENIUS OF
ALEXANDER HAMILTON AS TOLD BY
THE GENIUS OF LIN-MANUEL
MIRANDA.
MIRANDA. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL 18-YEAR-OLD
OR 20-YEAR-OLD LIN-MANUEL
MIRANDA WHO IS LIKE WORKING ON
THE HEIGHTS OR SOMEONE ELSE
WATCHING THIS SAYING I WANT TO
BE -- I WANT TO DO THIS?
WHAT DO YOU NOW KNOW YOU DIDN'T
FOE THEN.
FOE THEN. >> I KNOW NOW THAT LIFE IS NOT
SHORT.
SHORT. IT'S LONG, WHICH IS THE THING
THAT WASHINGTON KEEPS TELLING
HAMILTON.
HAMILTON. DYING IS EASY.
LIVING IS HARDER.
TO REALLY GET IT RIGHT YOU
THINK, OH, MY GOSH, LOOK AT THIS
AMAZING FIRST DRAFT AND FIGURE
OUT WHAT TEN WHACKS AT IT CAN DO
AND, OH, I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING.
AND SO I WOULD JUST TELL THEM TO
HANG ON IN THE WORDS OF OUTCAST
HOLD ON, BE STRONG.
>> IF YOU'RE WATCHING THAT AND
YOU'RE A HIP-HOP HEAD, A HISTORY
BUFF, SOMEONE WHO LOVES MUSICAL
THEATER OR JUST LOVES THINGS
AWESOME AND THINKING TO YOURSELF
HOW CAN YOU SEE THAT, YOU'RE IN
LUCK.
LUCK. THE RUN TO THE PUBLIC IS SOLD
OUT BUT ANNOUNCED THEY'RE MOVING
TO BROADWAY AND TICKTEMPT S ON
SALE.
SALE. >>> WHEN ROBERT DURST WAS
ACQUITTED OF MURDER IT SURPRISED
A LOT.
A LOT. >> "THE NEW YORK TIMES" NOT
GENERALLY KNOWN FOR THEIR IRONIC
TAKE, NEW YORK CITY REAL ESTATE
HEIR IS ACQUITTED OF MURDER IN
TEXAS.
TEXAS. DURST WHO CUT UP BODY ARGUED
SELF-DEFENSE.
SELF-DEFENSE. THAT'S AS CLOSE AS "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" WILL EVER COME TO
LITERALLY JUST MAKING A JOKE ON
THE FIRST PAGE.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" GOING CAN
YOU [ BLEEP ] BELIEVE THIS?
>> ALL RIGHT, NOW A NEW
DOCUMENTARY TH