HOUSE PARTY
Obama & Lin-Manuel Miranda Freestyle
‘You think that’s going viral? That’s going viral.’
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.