Reading Time: 2 min read

4 out of 5 starsย 

The Hamilton Mixtape [๐Ÿ“ท: Atlantic]Aloe Blacc, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda &ย Nas drop the dope โ€œWrote My Way Out,โ€ a highlight from โ€˜The Hamilton Mixtape.โ€™

Hamilton is โ€œkind 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 โ€œWrote My Way Out.โ€ That cast is comprised of Aloe Blacc, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Nas.ย  The results = FIRE.

โ€œWrote 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, โ€œI wrote my way out.โ€ Aloe Blacc finishes the remainder of the hook.

โ€œ...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.

โ€œI picked up the pen like Hamilton
Street analyst, now I write words that try to channel โ€˜em 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:

โ€œHigh speed, dubbinโ€™ these rhymes in my dual cassette deck
Runninโ€™ out of time like Iโ€™m Jonathan Larsonโ€™s rent check
My mind is Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak 
In withdrawal, I want it all, please give me that pen backโ€ฆโ€

โ€œWrote My Way Outโ€ concludes with excellent spoken word outro by Nas.


Final Thoughts ๐Ÿ’ญ

All in all, collaborative track โ€œWrote 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 โ€œWrote My Way Out.โ€

4 out of 5 stars


Various Artists โ€ข The Hamilton Mixtape โ€ข Atlantic โ€ข Release: 12.2.16
Photo Credit: Atlantic

 

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the musical hype

the musical hype aka Brent Faulkner has earned Bachelor and Masters degrees in music (music Education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and a freelance music journalist. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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