When I took AP U.S. History last year, social studies teacher Jeff Wieland instilled a great respect for Alexander Hamilton in me. I began to see Hamilton as an intellectual who made great contributions to the new U.S. — someone who wrote over 50 essays as part of the Federalist Papers, created a new economy from the ground up and became the first to exercise the Constitution’s elastic clause. I never saw Hamilton as a rapping, long-haired son of Puerto-Rican immigrants, though. But Lin-Manuel Miranda did.

Miranda is the mastermind behind “Hamilton,” the hip-hop musical that has garnered rave reviews both off- and on-Broadway and sold out every show at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for the rest of the year. He initially came up with the idea while on break from his Tony Award-winning musical “In The Heights,” after he read a biography of Alexander Hamilton. Its first incarnation came in the form of “The Hamilton Mixtapes,” but it would take over five years until “Hamilton” actually premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater.

A few weeks ago, the original Broadway cast recording of “Hamilton” was finally released. After hearing way too much about it on Twitter, I decided to see what all the hype was about. So, this past weekend, I set aside 2 ½ hours and listened to the entire cast recording, from start to finish. And I’m so glad I did.

The cast recording contains 46 songs from “Hamilton,” a musical with little spoken dialogue. Most of the songs are rooted in hip-hop and rap, but some dabble in R&B and pop music as well. This may seem counterintuitive when telling a story that takes place in the late 1700s, but it works perfectly. With so much drama going on in the U.S.’s initial years, it only makes sense that hip-hop is the language that tells this story.

Many of the actors in the show have a signature style of rapping, which makes it easier to visualize the action while listening to the cast album. The Schuyler sisters — Angelica Schuyler Church (played by Renee Elise Goldsberry), Eliza Schuyler Hamilton (played by Phillipa Soo) and Peggy Schuyler van Rensselaer (played by Jasmine Cephas Jones) — sound nearly exactly like a female R&B-pop group. And, King George (played by Jonathan Groff) brings a fitting Michael Buble feel to his songs.

The central part of the show, and the album, is the conflict between Hamilton (played by Miranda) and Aaron Burr (played by Leslie Odom Jr.). Both actors do a fantastic job at showing their characters’ conflicts through their songs, culminating in the final duel where Burr kills Hamilton in “The World Was Wide Enough.”

Speaking of duels, the show thrives on the rap battles in Act 2. It uses rap as a vehicle to show the disagreements between Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson (played by Daveed Diggs) in the first cabinet, about issues from assuming states’ debts to supporting France in the French Revolution. These are some of the album’s most high energy moments.

In all honesty, though, any song off the album that features rapping is bound to be a high point. Songs like “Right Hand Man,” “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” and “Non-Stop” all go extremely hard with their rap parts. And, of course, “My Shot” holds the entire album together, and is so awesome that it could even fit in on hip-hop radio.

One of the show and album’s strongest points is its use of actors of color to portray white historical figures. Miranda said this makes the show reflect what the U.S. is like today, and I completely agree. With only one white actor (Groff), “Hamilton” is a clear victory in media representation, showing that white people don’t always have to be played by white actors.

Hamilton is much more, though. While I obviously haven’t seen it, I can tell from the cast album that it’s a truly magical performance. Its use of hip-hop is groundbreaking, and it tells a very intriguing story.

Senior Justin Curto is an avid music lover whose tastes range from alternative rock to dance pop. He enjoys supporting the Kansas City music scene by listening longer to 96.5 The Buzz, rocking out to local music and seeing artists live at his favorite venues in the area.