Lin-Manuel Miranda premiered the music video for “Immigrants (We Get The Job Done),” a song off “The Hamilton Mixtape,” on Wednesday.
While the mixtape features an all-star roster of rappers and pop stars covering and reinterpreting songs from Miranda’s hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” this is the first video to drop.
The song features verses by some of Miranda’s favorite rappers from around the world: K’naan is Somali-Canadian and Residente is Puerto Rican. Riz MC is British-Pakistani and Snow Tha Product is Mexican-American. The song’s title references one of the most repeated lines from the song “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” ― and probably from the entire musical.
Just days after the Supreme Court approved a tempered version of President Trump’s “muslim ban,” the video’s message rings loud and clear. Its lyrics and visuals powerfully describe the dire conditions facing refugees attempting to immigrate to, and make lives in, America today. It also highlights the immeasurable contributions immigrants have made to a country that continues to dehumanize them.
One verse, translated from its original Spanish, reads: “We packed our entire house in one suitcase / With a pick, a shovel / And a rake / We built you a castle.”
A full translation of the Spanish verses is available on Genius, which also includes a brief intro by the man LMM himself. “This election cycle has brought xenophobia and vilification of immigrants back to the forefront of US politics. This is a musical counterweight,” Miranda wrote.
Watch the video above, and don’t miss Daveed Diggs’ appearance in the final seconds.
