Lin-Manuel Miranda goes all out for “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)”
By Robin Lempel
Lin-Manuel Miranda is having a bonkers week between the huge #Ham4All challenge and the “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” music video.
When does Lin-Manuel Miranda sleep? Between Mary Poppins Returns, debuting the “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) music video, and the viral #Ham4All challenge, Miranda has been working non-stop.
Miranda debuted The Night Of actor Riz Ahmed’s music video for “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) from the Hamilton Mixtape on the Today show this morning. And it packs a punch. Seriously. It’s incredible.
The moving and poignant video features Ahmed, K’naan, Snow Tha Product, and Residente of Calle 13 and even Daveed Diggs at the end. And it perfectly shows the struggles, perseverance, and contributions of immigrants.
The music video starts with group of immigrants on a train listening about border security. It goes on to show the immigrant experience and all the ways immigrants “get the job done” from sewing American flags to working various jobs.
Ahmed then appears in a subway as a father and son frantically escape the wreckage after an attack. Ultimately, though, there’s a raid on the group of immigrants.
Check out the video here:
In these highly politicized times where we hear so much about immigration, refugees, and travel bans, this music video is incredibly powerful and shows how immigrants really do persist and get the job done.
“Immigrants (We Get The Job Done),” of course, comes off of Miranda and Questlove’s Hamilton Mixtape. Various artists put their own spin on songs from the show and provided them with new meaning. “The brilliant thing about this whole project was and is that this project has legs beyond just the play and the cast album,” Questlove told Vanity Fair.
And it’s true. The mixtape and video prove how the message of the musical has gone beyond the show. The video is the latest thing Miranda’s done in support of the Immigrants: We Get The Job Done Coalition, a non-profit focused on immigration. There’s also a sweepstakes on Prizeo.com. Fans can donate $10 to win a trip to the L.A. premiere of Hamilton, go to the after-party, and meet Miranda.
Miranda along with Stephen and Ayesha Curry have also been urging fans to take the #Ham4All challenge as part of the sweepstakes. Think the Ice Bucket Challenge, but with revolutionary songs. Fans donate the money, sing part of their favorite songs from Hamilton, and challenge their friends to do the same.
And the challenge has been accepted. There have been some amazing celeb videos for #Ham4All. Former King George III actor Taran Killam did a hilarious bungled version of “Wait for It.” And Ben Stiller, Shonda Rhimes, Kelly Clarkson, Gina Rodriguez, Ben Schwartz and more all got in on the challenge.
Check out some of the videos here:
Next: Lin-Manuel Miranda opens up about Mary Poppins Returns
Clearly, Hamilton is just as big a deal as ever. And the music video and challenge are shedding such an important light on immigration in such a critical time. Will you take the #Ham4All challenge?