The Hamilton Mixtape Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

The Hamilton Mixtape vs. the Original Broadway Cast Recording

Hamilton is a hip-hop-driven, sung-through Broadway musical that chronicles the life of Alexander Hamilton—from immigrant orphan to Revolutionary War aide and America’s first Secretary of the Treasury—using rapid-fire rap battles, R&B ballads, and historically dense lyrics to explore ambition, legacy, and the price of revolution.

The Hamilton Mixtape (released 2 December 2016) is not a replacement for the Original Broadway Cast Recording (OBCR, 2015); it is a companion piece that re-imagines the score through the lens of contemporary pop, R&B and hip-hop. The table below summarizes the fundamental differences:

Four Creative Categories on the Mixtape

• Covers – direct reinterpretations of stage numbers (e.g. Usher’s “Wait For It”).
• Remixes – original chorus plus brand-new rap verses (e.g. “My Shot (Rise Up Remix)”).
• New Songs Built on Hamilton Samples – “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)”, “Wrote My Way Out”.
• Cut Demos from Early Drafts – “Cabinet Battle 3”, “Valley Forge”, “Congratulations”.

Track-by-Track Stage Status

Key Takeaways

• The OBCR delivers the theatre experience exactly as staged.
• The Hamilton Mixtape functions as an all-star commentary, showcasing how the score lives in 21st-century pop culture.
• Cut demos and fresh songs widen the narrative universe and offer fans a glimpse of what might have been on Broadway.

In short: play the Original Broadway Cast Recording when you want the full show; reach for the Mixtape when you want to hear Hamilton through the voices of today’s chart-toppers.

The Hamilton Mixtape — Back-story, Accolades & Impact

Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda and The Roots while Hamilton was still Off-Broadway, The Hamilton Mixtape became the rare theatre-adjacent release to top the mainstream charts, collect MTV honors, and spawn its own year-long follow-up project. Below is an overview that complements the track-level analysis you already have.

How the Project Came Together

• 2009 – White House Poetry Jam: Miranda premieres “Alexander Hamilton,” calling it part of a future mixtape — four years before the musical exists.
• 2014–2016 – Studio Sessions: Questlove & Black Thought curate rap, R&B and pop icons; recording stretches across New York, L.A. and London.
• Nov 3 2016: Miranda tweets that the album is locked; weekly “instant-grat” singles begin the next day.
• Dec 2 2016: Full mixtape drops on digital, CD, vinyl — plus a 12-song cassette that sells out in hours.

Commercial Performance Highlights

Awards & Critical Notice

• MTV Video Music Awards 2017: “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” wins the inaugural Best Fight Against the System category, presented by Susan Bro.
• RIAA: Certified Platinum as a long-form video compilation in April 2018, reflecting robust video-on-demand sales.
• Metacritic: Average critic score 69/100 — praise for star power, mixed views on cohesion. User score 5.1/10.

Legacy & Follow-ups

• Hamildrops (2017–2018): After shelving the teased Mixtape Vol. 2, Miranda releases 13 standalone singles — from The Decemberists’ “Ben Franklin’s Song” to “One Last Time (44 Remix)” with Barack Obama.
• Pop-culture reach: Tracks from the mixtape have been licensed in immigration-advocacy campaigns, NBA halftime reels, and Netflix’s 2023 documentary We the People.
• Blueprint for Broadway crossovers: Its #1 debut proved that theatre IP could dominate streaming charts, influencing later “concept albums” for Hadestown and Six.

Together with the OBCR, The Hamilton Mixtape completes the musical’s pop-cultural circuit — from the Broadway stage to the top of the Billboard 200, from Tony night to the VMAs, and from 18th-century history to 21st-century protest music.