The many loves of the always enthusiastic Lin-Manuel Miranda include rap and The West Wing. Just as he fused the former with historic American politics in Hamilton, he has now combined it with Aaron Sorkin’s beloved drama in the newly released track titled “What’s Next?” In the verses, Miranda finds a way to work in his nerdiest references to executive producer Thomas Schlamme and notable supporting characters like Edward James Olmos’ Judge Mendoza. The chorus, meanwhile, samples President Bartlet himself.
The song was made in conjunction with the podcast The West Wing Weekly, in which musician Hrishikesh Hirway of The One AM Radio and actor/former West Wing star Joshua Malina break down the show episode by episode. Hirway composed the beat, before handing it over to Miranda.
This is not the first time the multi-hyphenate Pulitzer Prize-winner has paid tribute to the series: He even did a walk-and-talk in the actual White House. He’s such a fan that the theme music made a Broadway cameo during his final performance in the title role of his musical.