Newsletters
DAILY BEAST
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • World News
  • Half Full
  • Culture
  • U.S. News
  • Innovation
  • Scouted
  • Travel

Obama & Lin-Manuel Miranda Freestyle

HOUSE PARTY

‘You think that’s going viral? That’s going viral.’

James Joiner

Updated Apr. 13, 2017 5:34PM ET / Published Mar. 15, 2016 8:32AM ET 

Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda is a composer, playwright, rapper, and recipient of a pile of Tony, Obie, and Grammy awards, not to mention a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant recipient and history buff. With a résumé like that, it’s no wonder Miranda spent part of Monday rapping with President Obama in the Rose Garden.

It was Miranda’s second time around. He previously performed at the White House in 2009, but this time was less formal. Standing on steps far more steeped in stoic presidential addresses than snappy wordplay, Obama held up randomly assorted flashcards with words like “carbon footprint,” “Supreme Court,” and “Obamacare” while Miranda rapped about each.

Miranda ended it with a mic drop and a laugh, hugging the toe-tapping, head-bobbing president, who said, “You think that’s going viral? That’s going viral.”

He’s right, of course.

READ THIS LIST

DAILY BEAST
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • World News
  • Half Full
  • Culture
  • U.S. News
  • Innovation
  • Scouted
  • Travel
  • About
  • Contact
  • Tips
  • Jobs
  • Help
  • Privacy
  • Code of Ethics & Standards
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Copyright & Trademark
  • Sitemap
  • Coupons
© 2019 The Daily Beast Company LLC
Advertise With Us