When asked to perform for the first time at the White House, Broadway wunderkind Lin-Manuel Miranda did not throw away his shot.
Under the Obama administration, an evening of poetry, music and the spoken word was hosted at the White House on May 12, 2009, during which several acclaimed musicians, rappers and poets performed exclusively in front of an intimate Who’s Who audience.
An award-winning playwright and creator of the musical In the Heights, a younger and visibly nervous Lin-Manuel stepped onto the stage to perform a freestyle about a man he vehemently believed was an embodiment of hip-hop culture: Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers.
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While playing the role of Vice President Aaron Burr, Jr., Manuel encouraged audience members to “snap along” to the song, which would years later give birth to a whole hip-hop compilation album and musical titled Hamilton.
To commemorate Lin-Manuel’s birthday — he turns a young 38 on Tuesday (Jan. 16) — take a look at his first-ever White House performance and the seeds of what would become his record-setting Hamilton musical.