"HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)" Makes Historic CHART Debut on Billboard 200

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Oct 5, 2015) -

"2015's best rap album isn't by Drake, Kendrick Lamar or Dr. Dre -- it's the cast recording of Hamilton, a vital companion to the most creative, most talked-about musical to hit Broadway this millennium..." [5 out 5 star review]
- Billboard

"The closest thing to it in popular rap in recent memory would be Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. Just like Hamilton, GKMC is an album that requires time and attention, and rewards that investment handsomely."
- Pitchfork

"This album, created with help from the Roots, pulls off something even more impressive: It proves that a cast soundtrack LP can work as a powerful, cohesive, exhilarating pop experience in the 21st century." [4.5 out of 5 star review]
- Rolling Stone

"...but this opener from the new cast recording makes the Founding Father come alive, with a bang."
- Entertainment Weekly

"HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)," Atlantic Records' official companion to the acclaimed new musical by Tony, GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, has made a historic chart debut weeks before its official physical release. The album debuts on this week's Billboard charts at #1 on the "Top Broadway Albums" chart, #3 on the "Top Rap Albums" chart & #9 on the "Top Current Albums" chart. This impressive debut makes "HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)," the second biggest first week sales ever for a cast recording, behind only "RENT" in the Nielsen SoundScan era. What's more, "HAMILTON" debuted at #12 on Billboard's "Top 200," chart based on its strong album sales, track sales and over 2.1 million streams across all digital service providers. "HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)" is available now at digital retailers nationwide http://smarturl.it/HamiltonMusic & streaming via http://smarturl.it/HamiltonStream; the "HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)" 2-disc CD arrives in stores on Friday, October 16^th.

Produced by Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson & Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter, founding members of the GRAMMY®-winning hip-hop band, The Roots, "HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)" marks the first album to be mixed and mastered at the legendary Atlantic Records Studio in New York City.

The physical album release of "HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)" will be celebrated on Friday, October 16th, with a very special event at New York City's Barnes & Noble (150 East 86th St. at Lexington Avenue). Slated for 3:30pm, the event will include a Q&A with Lin-Manuel Miranda moderated by Steven Sorrentino as well as a CD signing with the cast. Priority access to the event will be available to customers purchasing the "HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)" CD at Barnes & Noble. For more, please see https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061726291-0.