"Sit Down, John"

The John Adams storyline, while a pretty short one, is very entertaining. John Adams himself isn't actually a character in the show, but his presence is represented by a deep, almost demonic voice that doubles several lyrics in mid-Act II. We're told that Hamilton and Adams constantly fought and practically destroyed the Federalist party- of which they were the only two significant members- but we only get a tiny bit of back-and-forth: Adams calling Hamilton "creole bastard," and Hamilton's response, of which we only get to hear a clip (including a censored F-bomb).

As a lot of people know, the "sit down, John" line is the end of what was originally a much longer diss rap from Hamilton to Adams. With a quick YouTube search, you can find Lin-Manuel Miranda performing said rap, and as you'd expect, it's some pretty good stuff. His trademark wordplay and rhythmic originality are on full display. It's not a bad rap at all, it's actually pretty great. So why cut it?

Say what you will about Hamilton, but it's an incredibly focused show. This might seem like an odd thing to say about a musical that clocks in at around two and a half hours, but there's not a lot of fat. Every song has a pretty distinct purpose, and the story loses something if you cut any of them. Even "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us," a reprise of "The Story of Tonight" which shows Hamilton receiving word of John Laurens' death at the tail end of the first act, which is famously missing from the soundtrack, adds a little something to the story and Hamilton's motivation going forward.

This is ultimately the explanation for the cutting of the Adams rap. However good it might be, Hamilton accomplishes ultimately the same thing in one sentence. The show has a lot of story to tell, and can't affort to stop for anything that doesn't add anything of substance. Who knows, maybe it'll end up on the mixtape.