''Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)'' is the

cast album A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the sho ...

to the 2015 musical ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

''. The musical is based on the 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton written by

Ron Chernow Ronald Chernow (; born March 3, 1949) is an American writer, journalist and biographer. He has written bestselling historical non-fiction biographies. He won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 2011 American History Book Prize for hi ...

, with music, lyrics, and book by

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and '' In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animat ...

. The recording stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr.,

Phillipa Soo Phillipa Anne Soo (born May 31, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Soo gained prominence for originating the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton''. She earned nominations for the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a ...

Renée Elise Goldsberry Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton'', for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musica ...

, Christopher Jackson,

Daveed Diggs Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jeffer ...

Anthony Ramos Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez (born November 1, 1991) is an American actor and singer. In 2015, he originated the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical '' Hamilton''. Ramos also appeared in the 2021 film version o ...

Okieriete Onaodowan Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan ( ; born August 16, 1987) is an American actor and singer known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 musical ''Hamilton'' and the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and ''G ...

Jasmine Cephas Jones Jasmine Cephas Jones (born July 21, 1989) is an American-British actress, singer, and producer, who originated the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Broadway stage musical '' Hamilton''. In 2020, Cephas Jones won a Primet ...

, and

Jonathan Groff Jonathan Drew Groff (born March 26, 1985) is an American actor and singer . He began his career on Broadway, rising to prominence for his portrayal of Melchior Gabor in the original production of '' Spring Awakening'' (2006-2008), for which h ...

. It also features

Jon Rua Jon Rua (born Jonathan Rua, August 14, 1983) is an American actor, singer, and choreographer, best known for his roles in Broadway musicals such as ''Hamilton'', '' In the Heights'', and '' Hands on a Hardbody''. Rua was the choreographer for t ...

, Thayne Jasperson, Sydney James Harcourt,

Ephraim Sykes Ephraim Manessah Sykes (born July 17, 1985 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American actor and singer. Sykes played the role of George Eacker in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton''. In December 2016, he played Seaweed J. Stubbs in NBC's live pro ...

, Ariana DeBose, and Sasha Hutchings. The musicians on the album are

Alex Lacamoire Alex Lacamoire (born May 24, 1975) is a Cuban-American composer, arranger, conductor, musical director, music copyist, and orchestrator who has worked on many shows both on and off-Broadway. He is the recipient of multiple Tony and Grammy Aw ...

, Kurt Crowley, Andres Forero, Robin Macatangay, Richard Hammond, Benny Reiner, Jonathan Dinklage, Erin Benim Mayland, Anja Wood, Mario Gotoh, and Laura Sherman. It achieved the largest first week sales for a digital cast album and is the highest-charting cast album since 1963. It was the highest-selling Broadway cast album of 2015 and peaked at number one on the Rap Albums chart, the first cast album to ever do so. After being certified nine times platinum by the RIAA in 2021, ''Hamilton'' became the best-selling cast album of all time.

Commercial reception

The cast album for the musical premiered in September 2015 on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's website. Its digital release on September 25, 2015, debuted on numerous charts and was released in stores as a two-disc set on October 16, 2015. It debuted at number one on the Top Broadway Albums chart as well as number 3 on

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

. Hamilton's debut was the second biggest first week sales of a Broadway cast album, just behind the

for the musical ''Rent''. It debuted at number 12 on the overall ''Billboard'' 200 chart for sales, with over 2.1 million streams combined from digital service providers, the largest streaming debut for a cast album ever. Following the 70th Tony Awards in 2016, the album re-peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, making it one of only three cast recordings to reach the top 10 in the last 50 years. The album reached a new peak of number two in July 2020, following the release of the live stage film of the Broadway production on July 3, 2020. This made ''Hamilton'' the highest charting cast album since '' Hair'' in 1969. This peak also came on the album's 250th consecutive week on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album was the highest-selling Broadway cast album of 2015 and peaked at number one on the Top Rap Albums chart, the first cast album to ever do so. It achieved the largest first week sales for a digital cast album and was the highest-charting cast album debut since 1963. It sold 169,000 copies in 2015, and a further 739,000 copies in 2016, making it the fifth best-selling album of 2016. It was certified 6x Multiplatinum by the RIAA on April 4, 2019, making it the best-selling cast recording of all time. That record was extended when the album was certified 7× platinum on September 16, 2020. As of July 2020 the album has sold 1.97 million pure copies.

Critical reception

'' Billboard'' called the album an "eye-popping debut", giving it a 5-out-of-5 star review and listing it at number 2 on the magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2015. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' gave it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, listing it at number 8 on the magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2015. Robert Christgau wrote in ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

'', "I can attest that the intrinsic intellectual interest [

] powers up here is so impressive it's exciting". Lin-Manuel Miranda made a conscious decision to exclude one scene in the performance from the cast album, "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us", also known as Laurens' Interlude.

Track listing

Interpolations * "My Shot" contains elements of "

Shook Ones Pt. II "Shook Ones, Part II" is the lead single from Mobb Deep's 1995 album ''The Infamous''. The song is a sequel to the group's 1994 promotional single "Shook Ones", with similar lyrics, but less profanity. The original song is featured on the b-side o ...

" written by Albert Johnson and Kejuan Waliek Muchita; " Going Back to Cali" written by Osteen Harvey Jr.,

Roger Troutman Roger Troutman (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known as Roger, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and heavily influence ...

and Christopher Wallace; and " You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" from '' South Pacific'', music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. * "Right Hand Man" contains elements of " The Modern Major General" from ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' written by

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

and Arthur Sullivan. * "Ten Duel Commandments" contains elements of " Ten Crack Commandments" written by Christopher E. Martin, Christopher Wallace, and Khary Kimani Turner. * "Meet Me Inside" contains elements of "

Party Up (Up in Here) "Party Up (Up in Here)" is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the second single from his third album '' ... And Then There Was X'' (1999) and as of 2020 his most successful single (in the US). There are three versions of the song: an e ...

" written by Kasseem Dean and Earl Simmons. * "Cabinet Battle #1" contains elements of " The Message" written by Clifton Nathaniel Chase, Edward G. Fletcher, Melvin Glover, and Sylvia Robinson. * "Say No to This" contains elements of "Nobody Needs to Know" from ''

The Last Five Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States an ...

'', music and lyrics by

Jason Robert Brown Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on ''Parad ...

. * "Cabinet Battle #2" contains elements of " Juicy (It's All Good)" written by

Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

, James Mtume,

Jean-Claude Olivier Jean-Claude Olivier (28 February 1945 – 12 January 2013), often referred to simply as "JCO", was a French motorcycle racer and president of Yamaha Motor France S.A. from 1992 to 2010. He helped launch the careers of many famous French riders i ...

, and Wallace. * "Blow Us All Away" contains elements of "Ten Crack Commandments" written by Martin, Wallace, and Turner; and "Shook Ones Pt. II" written by Johnson and Muchita. * "The World Was Wide Enough" contains elements of "Ten Crack Commandments" written by Martin, Wallace, and Turner.

Personnel

Cast *

– Alexander Hamilton *

– Eliza Hamilton * Leslie Odom Jr. – Aaron Burr *

– Angelica Schuyler * Christopher Jackson –

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

–

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

–

Hercules Mulligan Hercules Mulligan (September 25, 1740March 4, 1825) was an Irish-American tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty. Early life Born in Coleraine in the north of Ireland to Hugh and Sarah Mull ...

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

–

John Laurens John Laurens (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his criticism of slavery and his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for thei ...

Philip Hamilton Philip Hamilton (January 22, 1782 – November 24, 1801) was the eldest child of Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. He died at age 19, fatally shot in a duel with George Eacker. Birt ...

–

Peggy Schuyler Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer (September 19, 1758 – March 14, 1801) was the third daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler. She was the wife of Stephen Van Rensselaer III, sister of Angelica Schuyler Church, Philip Je ...

/ Maria Reynolds *

–

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

* Sydney James Harcourt – James Reynolds * Thayne Jasperson –

Samuel Seabury Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalist ...

– Charles Lee *

– George Eacker Ensemble vocals * Carleigh Bettiol * Andrew Chappelle * Ariana DeBose * Alysha Deslorieux * Sydney James Harcourt * Neil Haskell * Sasha Hutchings * Thayne Jasperson * Stephanie Klemons * Morgan Marcell * Javier Muñoz *

Emmy Raver-Lampman Emmy Raver-Lampman (born Emily Christine Raver Lampman, September 5, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began her career working in musical theater, and has performed in various Broadway and national touring productions such as ''Hair' ...

* Jon Rua * Austin Smith *

Seth Stewart Seth Stewart is an American actor, singer and dancer known for his roles in the musicals ''Hamilton (musical), Hamilton'' (2015) and ''In the Heights'' (2008, cameo in In the Heights (film), 2021 film adaptation). Other film appearances include ''M ...

* Betsy Struxness * Ephraim Sykes * Voltaire Wade-Greene Production *

– production, orchestrations * Bill Sherman – production *

– production, executive production * Ahmir Thompson & Tariq Trotter for the Roots – production, executive production *

Craig Kallman Craig Kallman is an American entrepreneur and former DJ. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. His career in music began in the 1980s as a DJ in Manhattan. He is the founder of the independent label Big Beat, which was es ...

– associate production * Riggs Morales – associate production * Sean Patrick Flahaven – associate production * Thomas Kail – associate production * Tyler Hartman – assistant engineering * Ron Robinson – assistant engineering * Ebonie Smith – assistant engineering *

Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to: * Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor * Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter * Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer * Thomas Coyne (cricketer) ( ...

– mastering * Michael Keller – music coordination * Michael Aarons – music coordination * Randy Cohen – synthesizer and drum programming * Nevin Steinberg – Broadway sound effects * Scott Wasserman –

Ableton Ableton AG is a German music software company that produces and distributes the production and performance program Ableton Live and a collection of related instruments and sample libraries, as well as their own hardware controller Ableton Push. ...

programming * Taylor Williams – associate synthesizer programming * Jeremy King – assistant synthesizer programming * Will Wells – drum samples and additional loop editing * Tim Latham – mixing * Derik Lee – recording * Emily Grishman – music copying * Katharine Edmonds – music copying Musicians * Alex Lacamoire – conducting, keyboard 1 * Kurt Crowley – keyboard 2, associate music direction * Jonathan Dinklage – concertmaster * Erin Benim Mayland – violin * Mario Gotoh – viola, violin * Anja Wood – cello * Andres Forero – drums * Benny Reiner – percussion, keyboard * Richard Hammond – bass, keyboard * Robin Macatangay – guitars, banjos Additional musicians for recording * Laura Sherman – harp * Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson – wood table on "Aaron Burr, Sir"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Song certifications

Awards

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cast recordings Theatre soundtracks Atlantic Records soundtracks 2015 soundtrack albums Hip hop soundtracks Hamilton (musical) Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album Albums produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda