In 2008, a musical about a bodega in Washington Heights, In the Heights, won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. That musical was the brain child of composer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda. Almost a decade later, Miranda has taken on a completely subject: former Treasury Secretary and Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is now a Broadway smash, earning a record 16 Tony nominations.

Last year, before Hamilton was the hottest show on Broadway, Miranda took Maria Hinojosa on a tour of northern Manhattan, revealing the unexpected connection between the Founding Fathers and today’s hip-hop culture.

Photo by Joan Marcus