By Alli Marti
Depending on your taste in music, you might be one of the numerous individuals across the globe who has fallen in love with rap and hip-hop, as these are two of the most popular genres in the world right now. Transcending racial and socioeconomic divisions, they resonate with the urban lifestyle, and the majority of the global population.
Living in the “Information Age,” we can use this trend — or others like it — to spread awareness about important contemporary issues. One man exemplary to this is the writer of the Broadway hit “Hamilton.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda debuted his musical “Hamilton” in February 2015, and it has been a huge success in the United States and around the world.
“Hamilton” has been the first musical to break two barriers on Broadway: First of all, the cast is mostly Black and Latino — challenging the predominantly White cast typical of a Broadway performance. Secondly, it is the first large-scale musical where rap and hip-hop are accepted by the masses.
What’s important about this is Miranda used these music genres and this unique cast to hit on tough topics, such as immigration, that have been disputed in the United States since its founding.
As Miranda’s popularity on Broadway and film has grown, he also has been spreading awareness about other contemporary problems. Miranda recently used his creativity to bring awareness to the $70 billion debt crisis that the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is currently facing.
The powerful concept Miranda has taken advantage of is finding a valuable trend and creating awareness through it. Miranda has shown us that we can use more tools than just picket signs to raise awareness of a cause.
While most of us won’t write award-winning musicals, the internet has changed our societies into a global community, and now we are able to use our passions to influence people all over the world.
If you know of a problem in your community, be the one to stand up for it through a unique campaign. Research what is trending, find out why people like it, and use it to help create energy around what you care about.
Check out a brief sampling of the many successes of Miranda’s musical, “Hamilton,” below.
Alli Marti is a college graduate who is curious to understand the world through the different cultural lenses that make up each place.
