Alexander Hamilton
Lauren, Lafayette and Mulligan’s raps in “Aaron Burr, Sir” differ from that of Hamilton in “My Shot” in that they use the old school style contrary to Hamilton’s latter-day and advance style. Lauren’s begins of the rap with the words, “I’m John Laurens in the place to be”, which is a common phrase that rappers used to introduce their songs in the ’80s. Hamilton, on the other hand, uses intense polysyllabic words with a great deal of assonance which is a more evolved style to what Lauren, Lafayette and Mulligan use.
The two responses are structured differently in that Lauren, Lafayette and Mulligan use the call and response style while Hamilton’s is mostly a verbose monologue. Each group shows the vibrancy and bravado they have, that is towards not throwing away their shot in the War of Revolution, in different ways. In the rap, Laurens shouts, “What time is it”, then Lafayette and Mulligan join in with the words, “Showtime!” which is similar to what DJ’s do in parties to hype the crowds. Hamilton’s rap is very wordy, and mostly done in monologue, to introduce him, and portray his will and urge in climbing the social ladder. The two raps, therefore, feel different in that Hamilton’s feels heavier because it incorporates more knowledge in a single rap.
Through these verbal differences, we see Hamilton as loquacious, ambitious and more knowledgeable. Even though Aaron Burr, his role model advises him to be more subtle and keep his matters to himself, he still talks openly about himself and what he wants to achieve in front of Lauren, Lafayette and Mulligan. His rap is very verbose unlike any of the others during the act, which shows him as a man who is not afraid to speak his mind. He is also ambitious because he clearly states to the rest that he will do anything it takes, even if it means laying down his life, just to see his name written in history. He is clearly not going to throw away his shot. Lastly, he more vividly explains the tyranny that America was facing under the British Government and wishes that there was a war so that he shows off how knowledgeable he was.