The Annual Grammy Awards - General Discussion

[Kromm]

It's great that Swift was overjoyed for Ed. However, she shouldn't have been leaping around out of her seat and taking attention away from his moment (imo)

I don't disagree.

As I said, there's just something odd about the way she er... conducts her fame. I think that while she's at best an average singer (actually improved from her country singing youth when she was an outright weak one), she certain is a hard working person and mega savvy. If her goal was domination, she's done it and make no mistake it's been due mainly to her own actions/brains.

But yeah, there's just something fucking weird about how she's set herself as the hub in a wheel of celebrity. And either she doesn't know, or doesn't care, if at the same time it makes her seem calculating and inaccessible.

I give a partial pass in this one case because she's been photographed with him for YEARS, since shortly after he made his name (didn't she tour with him too?) And frankly she's NOT that good an actress. She wasn't faking looking happy, if nothing else. She looked like an idiot shoving herself in there, but I do think it was more of a faux pax (that she probably only would recognize as one after people started railing at her on social media) than any genuine desire to steal his thunder.

[ari333]

I don't disagree.

As I said, there's just something odd about the way she er... conducts her fame. I think that while she's at best an average singer (actually improved from her country singing youth when she was an outright weak one), she certain is a hard working person and mega savvy. If her goal was domination, she's done it and make no mistake it's been due mainly to her own actions/brains.

But yeah, there's just something fucking weird about how she's set herself as the hub in a wheel of celebrity. And either she doesn't know, or doesn't care, if at the same time it makes her seem calculating and inaccessible.

I give a partial pass in this one case because she's been photographed with him for YEARS, since shortly after he made his name (didn't she tour with him too?) And frankly she's NOT that good an actress. She wasn't faking looking happy, if nothing else. She looked like an idiot shoving herself in there, but I do think it was more of a faux pax (that she probably only would recognize as one after people started railing at her on social media) than any genuine desire to steal his thunder.

 

I agree. I don't think it was a real desire to steal Ed's thunder. I think she may be  oblivious as to how she comes across to others.  Being a little  more self aware would behoove her imo.

Why did Swift have to jump around and  rush back over to hug Gomez after Ed won... in the same category as Swift was nominated? Was that monkey editing ?

Edited February 17, 2016 by ari333

[slowpoked]

I don't disagree.

As I said, there's just something odd about the way she er... conducts her fame. I think that while she's at best an average singer (actually improved from her country singing youth when she was an outright weak one), she certain is a hard working person and mega savvy. If her goal was domination, she's done it and make no mistake it's been due mainly to her own actions/brains.

But yeah, there's just something fucking weird about how she's set herself as the hub in a wheel of celebrity. And either she doesn't know, or doesn't care, if at the same time it makes her seem calculating and inaccessible.

I give a partial pass in this one case because she's been photographed with him for YEARS, since shortly after he made his name (didn't she tour with him too?) And frankly she's NOT that good an actress. She wasn't faking looking happy, if nothing else. She looked like an idiot shoving herself in there, but I do think it was more of a faux pax (that she probably only would recognize as one after people started railing at her on social media) than any genuine desire to steal his thunder.

To me, it just reeks of "I'm not a sore loser! See, I'm jumping up and down! SEEEEE?????!!!!!" I think that's how she reacted to Mark Ronson's win as well? It just reeks of trying too hard to be this cool, accessible chick who's just really good friends with EVERYONE. And then that faux humble shocked look when she won, that she topped off with a humble brag speech. I'm surprised that she's not being raked in the coals over that one in mainstream media, but I guess no one wants to be immortalized by having Tay Tay write a revenge song about them.

 

I'm just glad she finally owned being a full-on pop star though, complete with the makeover. I hate that she used country music as a stepping stone just because she and her team knew she wouldn't cut it out if she went to pop directly. And freaking country music gave her pass after pass for remixing her songs and crossing over when they bashed Leann Rimes and Shania Twain for doing that decades ago. She is savvy, I must admit, but I don't think I'll ever be a fan. Thank God next year will be the Adele Grammy's show. And Adele is primed to be the second female to win 2 AOTY awards. 

[Kromm]

I must say this. Forget about anything Taylor Swift did. I hate that I now live in a world where the phrase "Grammy Winner Justin Bieber" can be uttered. Ick.

 

I didn't even totally hate his performance on the show. I just think being "okay" at one's best shouldn't make a Grammy winner.

[ebk57]

"Stephen Colbert introduced the performance that was piped in via satellite from the stage of the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway where the cast performed for an invited audience of friends, family and Broadway industry members."

 

According to Playbill.com

 

Stories from behind the scenes:

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/15/hamilton-grammys-behind-scenes

 

http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/watching-hamilton-perform-and-win-a-grammy.html?mid=twitter_vulture

 

(Yes, I'm obsessed.  I admit it)

[Casual Viewing]

PVR'd this sucker so I wouldn't have to sit through the long hours of torture.

Highlights for me:

Hamilton, 

Stevie Wonder & Pentatonix,

the great tribute to BB King (that's how a tribute should be done)

They didn't forget Cory Wells in the In Memoriam, I was ready to throw something at the tv if they'd omitted one of the best vocalists of the 60's thru early 80's.

I thought they were forgetting Natalie Cole, but it was nice the way they ended the In Memoriam with her and gave her a bit more airtime than I thought they were going to.

Disappointing:

They remembered Cory but they forgot Jimmy Greenspoon who also was original TDN  and died March last year. 

The sound and other glitches that marred The Eagles & Adele's performances especially. (Although I think Adele made a poor choice in a song.  I left the room to take out my laundry during the song as it just didn't do it for me.)

 

Disliked:

The Taylor Swift show.  Honestly, the girl irritates me to no end.

Bieber. (Nothing more needs to be said.)

 

Hated:

That total mess of a "tribute" to Bowie that Gaga inflicted upon the viewing audience.  The first 30 seconds looked like it might be okay and then it went all to hell. Gaga made the entire thing about herself and it turned into some Las Vegas parody.  Bowie=forever cool.  Gaga = not cool. Don't even get me started on that Gaga commercial. Seriously? 

 

Why couldn't they have had a big screen showing David's stage personas and versatility? Also, if one didn't know much about Bowie, you'd have thought he didn't do much after the 1980's from the songs they selected. He was still a vibrant, creative person right to the end.  I'd have much preferred a group of his peers paying tribute to him.  Annie Lennox would have far better than Gaga.  Why not have Arcade Fire? Or Iggy?  Or all of them?

I loved Duncan Jone's twitter comment, unfortunately, Gaga's little monsters have not been happy with his tweet.

 

The rest of the Grammy's was best seen on fast forward, although I will go back and rewatch Kendrick Lamar's part because I was distracted by something else and didn't really listen to it.

 

ETA: Oh, Johnny.  I know you always wanted to be a musician rather than an actor, but seeing you these past few years has just given me major sads. Mid-life crises is so not pretty, and the only Vampire in your life is your wife Amber.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Casual Viewing

[UYI]

Was this mentioned already? Adele had a very good sense of humor about her performance:

 

https://twitter.com/Adele/status/699457178717958145

 

https://twitter.com/Adele/status/699457767896002561

[Thumper]

Never thought of Annie Lennox for the Bowie tribute -- she would have been great!

[briochetwist]

Wow, what a show, finally just got through it.  And by what a show, I mean, what a super shitty show.  Damn.

 

Random thoughts:

 

Stevie Wonder was awesome. Stevie has always been awesome. Sorry, but no need for Pentatonix.

 

Bieber shocked me in his acoustic set by having what I thought was a surprisingly lovely voice. Then he smashed the guitar and ran away and it was back to my usual Bieber disdain. So close Justin, so close...

 

Kendrick Lamar was amazing. As an white Canadian woman in her forties, I've gotta say I loved it, it was like an art performance piece set to music. The musicality was just mindblowing. Kendrick Lamar seems to be what Kanye West seems to think he is. Amazing.

 

Poor, poor Adele. Ouch.

 

Nothing to say about Taylor that hasn't already been said *cough* attentionwhore...

 

Gaga's tribute was horrific.

 

Fucking Pitbull?  Why not Uptown Funk? Ugh...

[Kromm]

I thought they were forgetting Natalie Cole, but it was nice the way they ended the In Memoriam with her and gave her a bit more airtime than I thought they were going to.

Apparently the Cole family doesn't agree. They're outraged that she didn't get equal time with the people who got full tributes.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/natalie-cole-grammys-tribute_us_56c32c94e4b0b40245c7d160

 

On one hand, she didn't have that many widely known hits to showcase--as successful as she was with one very notable exception her success was specifically in the R&B category and not on the main charts. On the other hand, if you go by sheer numbers she had more Grammy noms (21) and wins (9) than virtually all of the people who got full tributes. 

Kendrick Lamar was amazing. As an white Canadian woman in her forties, I've gotta say I loved it, it was like an art performance piece set to music. The musicality was just mindblowing. Kendrick Lamar seems to be what Kanye West seems to think he is. Amazing.

Agreed. I'm not even sure I enjoyed what I saw. But I recognize a statement and something having real content, and that not all art needs to be enjoyed (sometimes it's supposed to confuse you or make you feel odd/think). 

Edited February 17, 2016 by Kromm

[Casual Viewing]

Apparently the Cole family doesn't agree. They're outraged that she didn't get equal time with the people who got full tributes.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/natalie-cole-grammys-tribute_us_56c32c94e4b0b40245c7d160

 

On one hand, she didn't have that many widely known hits to showcase--as successful as she was with one very notable exception her success was specifically in the R&B category and not on the main charts. On the other hand, if you go by sheer numbers she had more Grammy noms (21) and wins (9) than virtually all of the people who got full tributes. 

 

 Well, I can see their point.  I didn't realize she had so many noms and wins, I wasn't really into her style of music I guess. 

 

 When all is said and done the Grammy's are and always will be a big corporate popularity contest that is the definition of soulless.. The real music will always be played in concerts and small venues by real musicians, many of them never getting a record deal or airplay because they don't fit the radio format.   I'd rather listen to this performance   any time over Gaga's garbage soulless tribute.

[WendyCR72]

Casual Viewing, thanks so much for that YT link. Nice to hear some true rock, not pop with a rock label. (No offense to those that like pop, but rock it ain't!)

[Kromm]

 Well, I can see their point.  I didn't realize she had so many noms and wins, I wasn't really into her style of music I guess. 

 

 When all is said and done the Grammy's are and always will be a big corporate popularity contest that is the definition of soulless.. The real music will always be played in concerts and small venues by real musicians, many of them never getting a record deal or airplay because they don't fit the radio format.   I'd rather listen to this performance   any time over Gaga's garbage soulless tribute.

Fair enough. But we did get Alabama Shakes on the broadcast, which I'd count as real rock.

 

Also, to be fair to Gaga, while that was a garbage performance from her, she HAS done genuinely impressive ones before. Maybe not in a style that all of us favor, but ones that were far far better than what we got here.

[kili]

Apparently the Cole family doesn't agree. They're outraged that she didn't get equal time with the people who got full tributes.

 

UO: They shouldn't do individual tributes for people who died. No matter where they choose to do the cut off, fans/friends/families of those who do not make the cut-off will be upset (and the decisions used to have or not have an individual tribute is arbitrary, so the fans/friends/family will have a point). Every year, it seems there are more tributes. Soon, they will eat up the entire show. Plus, people complain that they aren't done right (wrong songs, too few songs, too many songs, wrong artist doing the tribute, etc).  

 

Everybody should be in the In Memoriam section and no applause until the end.  It is the only fair thing.

[slowpoked]

It's kinda funny how Gaga's tribute is being panned everywhere, because the lady can do a proper tribute - The Sound of Music at the Oscars last year.

Too much theatrics and not enough focus on music did it in. Gaga has shown in the past that if she just focuses on the music, she can kill it with the best of them.

[Kromm]

It's kinda funny how Gaga's tribute is being panned everywhere, because the lady can do a proper tribute - The Sound of Music at the Oscars last year.

Too much theatrics and not enough focus on music did it in. Gaga has shown in the past that if she just focuses on the music, she can kill it with the best of them.

Right. I mean it's not a tribute, but I don't think it's inaccurate to say she killed The Star Spangled Banner just a week and a half ago, and there are few songs on the planet that are harder to sing really well.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Kromm

[BatmanBeatles]

When Gaga played that weird keyboard, I thought the microphone was going to hit her in the face.

[briochetwist]

When Gaga played that weird keyboard, I thought the microphone was going to hit her in the face.

You're a much better person than I am, because I was really hoping it would.

[tom87]

Gaga some times less is more even when you are paying homage to a master of theatrics.   The melody was a bad idea to little of the songs and bad transitions between the songs.  I say pick two songs one from  his early days and one form his later days and just sing, she can sing so just do it.

 

I also have to admit a good portion of my love is Hamilton is Lin-Manuel Miranda he is so great in interviews and on social media and love Ham4Ham.

Edited February 17, 2016 by tom87

[MyAimIsTrue]

I also have to admit a good portion of my love is Hamilton is Lin-Manuel Miranda he is so great in interviews and on social media and love Ham4Ham.

 

I follow him on FB and he once directly replied to something I wrote, and I squealed with excitement.

[Maysie]

I kind of agree with skipping the selected tributes in the show. Few of them will ever really be all that good anyway - I mean look at what Gaga did to Bowie (that was not a tribute, imo) - and it becomes dicey with who's going to be offended or have hurt feelings. I understand Natalie Cole's family being hurt with the short shrift she got. I seem to remember her being all over the place when I was growing up and I didn't remember she passed until the end of the memorial segment. No, she didn't have the impact Bowie had, but that doesn't minimize her importance to the musicians she influenced nor to her family. I can see doing an extended segment where some music of the deceased artists accompanies the photo montage, perhaps sung/played by other artists. Yep, it would be long, but probably not as long as each individual tribute + the in memorial montage ended up being.

 

Artists die every year, and really, how can anyone judge the impact one artist had over another? There are people who loathe the Beatles, so undoubtedly, when Sir Paul goes, someone's going to be pissed off that he gets a big, long tribute (and you know he will). If a great writer or producer - someone who's not so visible but just as important to modern music goes at the same time, who makes the call that the ex-Beatle gets a bigger/better tribute? Elton John is a great example: I'm sure his passing would prompt a fairly significant tribute, but I doubt his lyricist, Bernie Taupin, would get more than a mention in the montage - and chances are there would be no Elton as we know him without Bernie. As well, current popular culture makes a difference as to how the contribution to an artist is seen at the time of death, I think. For example, Bowie was never not cool; Natalie Cole was more vulnerable to the whims of musical tastes.

 

I feel ghoulish talking about future deaths.

 

 

ETA: Oh, Johnny.  I know you always wanted to be a musician rather than an actor, but seeing you these past few years has just given me major sads. Mid-life crises is so not pretty, and the only Vampire in your life is your wife Amber.

 

Oh good God, yes. He is the last person I expected to have the mid-life crisis (I guess that's what's going on with him). I always figured he was too cool to let a little thing like aging get in the way of having a good time but he seems not quite right the last couple of years. It'd be one thing if he looked happy with his new, young, beautiful wife, but I don't even get that vibe from him. And I know he loves music and I applaud him keeping with it. But up there with Alice et al he looked a bit like (gulp) a wannabe. A wannabe aging rock star is not a good look on him.

[stillhere1900]

I 100 % agree with Natalie Cole's family

 

THAT WAS TOTALLY DISRESPECPECTFUL TO NATALIE COLE. 

 

*9 Grammys*    9

[stillhere1900]

Madonna, properly outfitted, could have been watchable. As it was, it was like watching my grandmom at a wedding.

 

Do you have a link ?

[LydiaMoon1]

Stevie Wonder was awesome. Stevie has always been awesome. Sorry, but no need for Pentatonix.

 

Is there ever a need for Pentatonix?

[DeLurker]

I think not.

[ari333]

I 100 % agree with Natalie Cole's family

 

THAT WAS TOTALLY DISRESPECPECTFUL TO NATALIE COLE. 

 

*9 Grammys*    9

 

THIS ^^^^^ !!

Considering Natalie's own contributions to music AND her dad's... I think it is horrible that she did not get a tribute; but Weeknd and Beiber got two songs each  that went on and on. But no time for Natalie.

[kassa]

They should just do an annual Grammys salute People We Lost This Year special.  

[ivygirl]

They should just do an annual Grammys salute People We Lost This Year special.  

I like this idea; it could be the pre-show. 

[WendyCR72]

Is there ever a need for Pentatonix?

 

I've yet to find anyone who likes Pentatonix. Lord knows I'm not one of those people.

[ari333]

I've yet to find anyone who likes Pentatonix. Lord knows I'm not one of those people.

I thought they sounded good with Stevie, but then I flove Stevie no matter what he does. :-)

Edited February 17, 2016 by ari333

[Casual Viewing]

I've yet to find anyone who likes Pentatonix. Lord knows I'm not one of those people.

I like them because they really know how to arrange a song vocally (they won a Grammy Monday for that btw,) and because if for no other reason they have shown that there are singers out there that can actually sing without autotuning and over production and be popular. If they can turn people on to real singing and off the crap fake singers that are everywhere I say more power to them. 

 

I agree that a special separate tribute show should be done apart from the Awards show. That would allow proper honour to those talented ones we've lost and not get so many people's feelings hurt.  Also, as so many great artists are dying and we are bound to lose more in the coming years, the Grammys is going to become even longer than it already is if it tries to do tributes.  This year was bad enough, can you imagine what it will be like in the following years?

 

Oh good God, yes. He is the last person I expected to have the mid-life crisis (I guess that's what's going on with him). I always figured he was too cool to let a little thing like aging get in the way of having a good time but he seems not quite right the last couple of years. It'd be one thing if he looked happy with his new, young, beautiful wife, but I don't even get that vibe from him. And I know he loves music and I applaud him keeping with it. But up there with Alice et al he looked a bit like (gulp) a wannabe. A wannabe aging rock star is not a good look on him.

 

       I really feel that Johnny is not only in a mid-life crises but that he is suffering from major depression and self-medicating with alcohol and who knows what else. The lack of personal hygiene, the weight gain, the deadness in the eyes etc. all scream depression.  He's suffered from it before (circa What's Eating Gilbert Grape era) and I'm afraid unless he gets help he's not going to be around too long. It's a shame because he does have a great deal of talent, (acting music, painting) but he's just a total mess now. Amber's going to be a very rich widow one of these days, probably her only claim to fame.

[ari333]

I enjoyed the Pentatonix real harmony.

 

And Bieber, my mama don't like you either.

[vibeology]

I love Pentatonix. The harmonies are always lovely and Kevin is a very talented vocal percussionist.

[Kromm]

I 100 % agree with Natalie Cole's family

 

THAT WAS TOTALLY DISRESPECPECTFUL TO NATALIE COLE. 

 

*9 Grammys*    9

Okay, but if we are being totally evenhanded, there are people in the classical categories that have 20+ Grammys. Do they get on-air full tributes too?

 

Just playing Devil's Advocate here. 

 

To be fair, 3 of her Grammys WERE in major categories though (Best New Artist, 1976; Album of the Year and Record of the Year, 1992). So that's the real bar. Does 3 major category wins (2 of them in the same year) pass that unacknowledged threshhold for equal treatment with the people they labeled as "legends" enough for full tributes?  The answer is... maybe.  Or "who the fuck really knows?"

[Kromm]

I've yet to find anyone who likes Pentatonix. Lord knows I'm not one of those people.

Aren't they like the 14th or 15th most subscribed music-related channel on YouTube?  

EDIT - fact check here (it's 14th).

 

Somebody is watching...

 

To put it in perspective they have more subscribers than Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Ed Sheeran, OR even Beyonce. 

Edited February 17, 2016 by Kromm

[Quickbeam]

I really enjoyed the Gaga tribute to Bowie. I saw him perform many times and it had a similar frenetic quality. I think it was heartfelt. Not perfect? Sure. But I liked it.

[Hanahope]

It's not a DVD and it's not the full show but Hamilton is coming to PBS this fall as part of the Great Performances. Its a long wait, but it should be amazing.

 

Thank you for letting us all know, this is great.  I still hold out hope that either a live performance will be put on DVD, or will be made into movie form with the original cast.  While I'm sure a traveling cast would still put on a good show, I've already decided that I really want to see the genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda.  I loved his interview and performance with Stephen Colbert on the Late Show.

[ari333]

I really enjoyed the Gaga tribute to Bowie. I saw him perform many times and it had a similar frenetic quality. I think it was heartfelt. Not perfect? Sure. But I liked it.

I agree. Im not even sure if I'd know  a perfect tribute if I saw one. Anyway, I liked it and she seemed into it 100%

[twoods]

I've yet to find anyone who likes Pentatonix. Lord knows I'm not one of those people.

I love them, and from seeing other responses on this thread, I'm not the only one.

I also like Bieber's new songs. Much better and catchier than his old stuff. I thought he was better on the AMA's (or was it Billboard? They all seem the same) when he was dancing in the water.

Can't believe Bruno Mars didn't perform. He would have brought some fun to the Grammys to offset the ballads.

[BatmanBeatles]

I didn't like Taylor Swift's dress. It looked like a tube top.

[briochetwist]

I didn't like Taylor Swift's dress. It looked like a tube top.

It was a tube top. And granny panties. And a cape worn as a skirt. 

[tom87]

Okay, but if we are being totally evenhanded, there are people in the classical categories that have 20+ Grammys. Do they get on-air full tributes too?

 

Just playing Devil's Advocate here. 

 

To be fair, 3 of her Grammys WERE in major categories though (Best New Artist, 1976; Album of the Year and Record of the Year, 1992). So that's the real bar. Does 3 major category wins (2 of them in the same year) pass that unacknowledged threshhold for equal treatment with the people they labeled as "legends" enough for full tributes?  The answer is... maybe.  Or "who the fuck really knows?"

 

Devil's Advocate here.

 

Bowie only won one grammy and it was for a short video.

 

Cole - 21 nominations, 9 wins over 32 years

Bowie - 10 nomination , 1 win

[BatmanBeatles]

Lady Gaga's blue outfit made me hope that she would have sung "Life On Mars", but alas.

[Scout Finch]

I'm just here for the snark, just to get that out there, but I literally thought The Weekend was a group until last week. I don't listen to that much music, just on my 15 minute drive to and from work. 

There actually is an awesome alternative band from San Francisco, called Weekend (properly spelled, no "The," and no ridiculous hair).

 

ETA:  What am I missing regarding Hamilton? I dislike rap/hip hop to begin with but still didn't see a single thing that I thought was interesting or outstanding in the Grammy performance.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Scout Finch

[Sharpie66]

FYI, for those who wish that Hamilton would come out on DVD, I read an article at Think Progress a few months ago that talked about a new Netflix-like project called BroadwayHD that is just going to be filmed Broadway shows available for download. Miranda has said that he would love to have the current cast of Hamilton preserved on film, so I'm thinking that it's a very good chance it will end up there or somewhere else before the current cast disbands.

 

Scout Finch, I'm not a hip-hop person either, but when I saw the White House performance of the song that was sung on the Grammy's on YouTube last year, I totally ate it up. The author of the biography that the play is based on said that he was flabbergasted to realize that Miranda had managed to put the first 40 pages of his book into just 4 minutes of song.

 

(It helps that I'm a history fanatic, and that Alexander Hamilton is my 6th or 7th great-uncle, so I'm already pre-disposed to be a fan of this musical!)

[Casual Viewing]

There actually is an awesome alternative band from San Francisco, called Weekend (properly spelled, no "The," and no ridiculous hair).

ETA: What am I missing regarding Hamilton? I dislike rap/hip hop to begin with but still didn't see a single thing that I thought was interesting or outstanding in the Grammy performance.

I think they chose that number so people would be introduced to the main characters, IMHO there's many other songs from the show that are more interesting. I am not a lover of rap but it is used very effectively in the show and it is a clever way of relating a lot of info about the characters and what happened. If they'd used only conventional forms of music the show would likely be 5or 6 hours long to tell the same story.

There's some really beautiful non-rap songs as well. I find I tend to listen to the entire album end to end again and again. My favorite songs also change day to day. "Wait for it" and You'll be Back" are today's favs. Try listening to it once from start to finish on the free version of Spotify while reading the lyrics at genius.com. Hamilton is a very interesting story (and I'm not generally interested in U.S.A. history--it's too recent). I was fascinated from start to finish and wish I could get to see it.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Casual Viewing

[LeeLeePanda]

I think they chose that number so people would be introduced to the main characters, IMHO there's many other songs from the show that are more interesting. I am not a lover of rap but it is used very effectively in the show and it is a clever way of relating a lot of info about the characters and what happened. If they'd used only conventional forms of music the show would likely be 5or 6 hours long to tell the same story.

There's some really beautiful non-rap songs as well. I find I tend to listen to the entire album end to end again and again. My favorite songs also change day to day. "Wait for it" and You'll be Back" are today's favs. Try listening to it once from start to finish on the free version of Spotify while reading the lyrics at genius.com. Hamilton is a very interesting story (and I'm not generally interested in U.S.A. history--it's too recent). I was fascinated from start to finish and wish I could get to see it.

I really wish they had done a mash up of My Shot and The Schuyler Sisters. Maybe that's what they'll do for the Tony's.

[ebk57]

I really wish they had done a mash up of My Shot and The Schuyler Sisters. Maybe that's what they'll do for the Tony's.

 

I'm hoping for My Shot or The Room Where it Happens.  Or anything... 

 

I think I read that Lin-Manuel doesn't want to do medleys, so we'll get one.  Unless they let them do two.  Which would be swell.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I'm not a rap or hip hop fan at all but I absolutely love how rap battles are used in the show as dialogue and historical storytelling.  The clips I've watched of scenes like that are genius.  Lin-Manuel Miranda has completely revolutionized the notion of musical theater.  He was on his way with "In the Heights" and "Hamilton" was the icing on the cake.

[Hanahope]

For me, I just like how Hamilton took a form of music that is not usually associated with "Broadway Musical Theater" and made it hugely popular and therefore broadening the audience's exposure.  Now, I'm no expert on "Broadway Musical Theater", nor have I seen all that much.  Most of my exposure has been to what I always presumed was "typical Broadway Musical Theater", i.e. Andrew Lloyd Weber, and popular 'musicals' such as Chicago, All That Jazz, Wicked, etc.  I liked it when rock music broke through with musicals like Chess, Rent, Rock of Ages.  And now rap has broken through (at least I assume Hamilton is the first 'popular' musical that uses rap music, I've not heard of another).