Two Requirements for a good Hip Hop Musical
Musicals can be created from practically any source. My Fair Lady was originally a play by George Bernard Shaw called Pygmalion. Fun Home was adapted from a graphic novel. Cats was once a book of poetry by T.S. Elliott. Li’l Abner was a comic strip. Even an extremely long, very dry, historical biography by Ron Chernow served as the basis for Hamilton.
Any source can be made into a musical.
The best sources have two requirements.
- First, it has to be a good story.
- Second, the story must have heightened emotions which can be musicalized.
Are these two requirements enough to make a good hip hop musical? I don’t think so. There is an additional requirement.
It is the reason why I think Hamilton makes a good hip hop musical, but Pygmalion would not.
Freedom
The culture of hip hop arose from an oppressed community. A community denied basic human rights, and one that burned with an overwhelming desire for freedom.
The story of the American Revolution is the story of a fight for freedom and self–determination. That backdrop makes Hamilton a good source for a hip hop musical.
Hip hop culture is the reach for freedom. The source material for a hip hop musical must be about freedom as well.
What do you think? Comment below or on social media, or email me privately at pat@rhymesoverbeats.org.