Lin-Manuel Miranda has moved from rapping about the Washington Administration to rapping about the Bartlett Administration.
The Tony-winning “Hamilton” creator and “Moana” songwriter has released a new rap set for “The West Wing Weekly,” a podcast that provides in-depth analysis on every single episode of Aaron Sorkin’s famed Bush-era political drama. The show features guest appearances from former political staffers and is co-hosted by “West Wing” cast member Joshua Malina, who provides an insider’s perspective.
For this episode, Miranda collaborated with the podcast creator, Hrishikesh Hirway, to create “What’s Next?”, a song named after Martin Sheen’s oft-repeated catchphrase during his run as President Bartlett.
Sample lyrics: “Ginger get the popcorn/the filibuster is in/ I’m Toby Ziegler with the drop-in/ What kind of day has it been?/ It’s Lin speaking the truth/ Agent Butterfield level detail/ on this track while you got that/ black Vera Wang retail.”
It’s no surprise that Miranda is a “West Wing” fan. At the conclusion of his final “Hamilton” performance, he took his final bows to the show’s wistful orchestral theme.
You can check out his ode to President Bartlett in the clip above.