We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. 'When I was writing that song, I was picturing it as Ashanti and Ja Rule,” he told Conan O'Brien in an interview. A visual spinning loader indicating that the page is performing an action. In a concert livestreamed Thursday, the duo (who toured together earlier this year) brought their take on Helpless to the Richard Rodgers stage, following Regina Spektor's wavering take on Dear Theodosia and Andra Day 's riff-heavy Burn.Īshanti took on Eliza's verses, originally sung by Phillipa Soo, while Ja Rule rapped Lin-Manuel Miranda's part, tweaking the lyric 'We’ll get a little place in Harlem and we’ll figure it out' to shout out his hometown of Queens.Īccording to Miranda, Ja Rule and Ashanti were the original inspiration behind Helpless' star-crossed cadences. One of R&B's most iconic duos made their Broadway debut, thanks to Hamilton.Īshanti and Ja Rule collaborated on some of the 90s' greatest hits - Always on Time, Mesmerize, Wonderful and more - before reuniting in the studio to cover Helpless, the starry-eyed duet between Alexander Hamilton and his wife Eliza, for the Hamiton Mixtape out Friday.

Ja rule mesmerize 12