Every disadvantage, I've learned to manage. These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder every burden. I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal trying to reach my goal. The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish. I probably shouldn't brag, but dag I amaze and astonish. I'm 'a get a scholarship to King's College. Hey yo, I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot.

MIRANDA: (Rapping) I am not throwing away my shot. So this is Lin-Manuel Miranda from the cast recording of 'Hamilton.' So let's hear some of it, and then we'll talk. You know, and first, it's going to be in the Revolutionary War and then in the new American government. GROSS: And this is Alexander Hamilton making his big statement about how, you know, he's come to America, he's going to make it, and he's not giving away his shot. GROSS: OK, so I want to talk to you about 'Hamilton.' (Laughter) And so let's start with 'My Shot.'

And now as planned, we'll listen back to our interview. I may have more words in the days to come, but for now, my heart is in pieces, and that's where it's going to be for a bit,' unquote. Yesterday, Miranda tweeted that his grandmother, quote, 'passed away this Christmas morning. In 2008, it won the Tony for best musical. Miranda's first Broadway show, 'In The Heights', was a musical set in a Latino neighborhood in New York similar to the one he grew up in. The Broadway production won 11 Tonys, and 'Hamilton' won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. A London production opened last week to rave reviews. Miranda had already left his starring role as Alexander Hamilton, but his hip-hop musical about the Founding Fathers remains a phenomenon. Today - my interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda, which we first broadcast January 3. This week, we're doing a holiday series featuring some of our favorite interviews of the year.

David edelstein best movies 2017