The impact of ‘Hamilton’ and why it still matters

When Lin-Manuel Miranda announced at a White House gathering in 2009 that he was working on a hip-hop musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton, the crowd laughed. No one could imagine the Founding Fathers having a rap battle during a cabinet meeting, for example.

But then “Hamilton” debuted on Broadway and won every imaginable award and became an international sensation. And it wasn’t despite the rap and racially diverse cast – it was because of it.

Thursday at 9 a.m. on MPR News with Kerri Miller, we anticipate the Disney+ video release of “Hamilton” by talking about its impact and why it still matters – maybe now more than ever.

Guests:

• Gillian Pensavalle, host of The Hamilcast   

• Geraldo Cadava, associate professor of American history at Northwestern University and instructor of a course on “Hamilton”  

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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