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Aloe Blacc, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda &ย Nas drop the dope โWrote My Way Out,โ a highlight from โThe Hamilton Mixtape.โ
Hamilton is โkind of a big deal.โ After earning numerous accolades, a mixtape (The Hamilton Mixtape) arrives featuring various artists. A star-studded cast comes together to drop the dope โWrote My Way Out.โ That cast is comprised of Aloe Blacc, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Nas.ย The results = FIRE.
โWrote My Way Outโ opens with piano chords. This is fitting for establishing an East Coast, hip-hop vibe. The hook begins with Lin-Manuel Miranda singing the titular lyric, โI wrote my way out.โ Aloe Blacc finishes the remainder of the hook.
โ...When the world turned its back on me I was up against the wall I had no foundation No friends and no family to catchy my fall Running on empty, there was nothing left in me but doubt I picked up a pen And wrote my way out.โ
Blacc sounds incredibly soulful, growing more so as the record progresses.
A hard, anchoring hip-hop beat supports the rappers on the verses. Overall, the record features excellent production work. This serves as perfect fuel for the fire. Nas nails verse one. ย He is clearly in his element.
โI picked up the pen like Hamilton Street analyst, now I write words that try to channel โem No political power, just lyrical power Sittinโ on a crate on a corner, sippinโ for hours.โ
Dave East spits the second verse, admitting his naivety about rap when he entered into the game. ย Lin-Manuel Miranda spits the third and final verse, fittingly:
โHigh speed, dubbinโ these rhymes in my dual cassette deck Runninโ out of time like Iโm Jonathan Larsonโs rent check My mind is Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak In withdrawal, I want it all, please give me that pen backโฆโ
โWrote My Way Outโ concludes with excellent spoken word outro by Nas.
Final Thoughts ๐ญ
All in all, collaborative track โWrote My Way Outโ is among the stronger pre-released singles from Hamilton Mixtape.ย Nas, Dave East, and Lin-Manuel Miranda all deliver strong rap verses, while Aloe Blacc shines on the hook.ย There is little to knock about โWrote My Way Out.โ
Various Artists โข The Hamilton Mixtape โข Atlantic โข Release: 12.2.16
Photo Credit: Atlantic