{"id":280287,"date":"2025-11-13T11:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T11:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280287\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T11:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T11:36:11","slug":"how-hip-hop-mobilized-zohran-mamdanis-victorious-mayoral-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280287\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hip-Hop Mobilized Zohran Mamdani\u2019s Victorious Mayoral Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cNew York, the real New York, I\u2019m outside. I don\u2019t live in Miami, I don\u2019t live in Colorado. Come to my block and see me, my n***a. Harlem, y\u2019all know I\u2019m down there. This is Kiss. I\u2019m outside. Always D-Block.\u201d \u2013 Jadakiss<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s something comparable to the energy that Jadakiss gave on the night of the LOX and Dipset\u2019s Verzuz to Zohran Mamdani\u2019s win in New York\u2019s mayoral race. During a campaign that was smeared along the way\u2014though never effectively\u2014Mamdani carried a resilience that felt like Jadakiss on that Verzuz stage against Dipset. Of course, that was amplified by his choice to enter the stage to Ja Rule\u2019s \u201cNew York\u201d ft. Jadakiss and Fat Joe<\/a>\u2014a song that not only once united 50 Cent\u2019s then-opps but also felt like an incontestable blow to Dipset\u2019s hubristic attitude that evening they faced off against The LOX.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much like how many of the predictions underestimated The LOX, Mamdani channeled Jadakiss\u2019 energy<\/a> during his victory speech, where he vowed to stand up for New Yorkers. His choice of song cemented him as a breath of fresh air for the city, and his campaign ultimately proved that, unlike the competition, he was really, really outside.<\/p>\n

Whether you like him or not, Mamdani understood his generation and the one that came after. His use of social media worked as effectively as the Trump campaign did in 2024, as evidenced by appearances on the Flagrant podcast and New York hip-hop-centered media like Hot 97 and The Breakfast Club.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The old guard had Andrew Cuomo, and look where they got them: an endorsement from Donald Trump<\/a> and Michael Rapaport, which basically proves that capitalism and justifying Israel\u2019s violent occupation of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria are worth overlooking 15,000 dead seniors and over a dozen credible allegations of sexual harassment. Even with a system working overtime against him, including a network of billionaires funding Cuomo and slanderous campaigns, Mamdani held steady and ultimately won over half the votes.<\/p>\n

The Mamdani Effect
\n \"Syndication: <\/p>\n

Zohran Mamdani works the crowd at the 2025 NYC Pride March on June 29 in New York City. Image via Imagn <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to deny that Mamdani\u2019s likability comes from his relatability. For many millennials, it\u2019s not only in his principles and political stances but also in his music taste. Mamdani\u2019s connection to hip-hop is deep-rooted; there\u2019s videographic evidence of his aspiring rap career under the moniker Mr. Cardamom. David Dinkins earned a co-sign from A Tribe Called Quest on \u201cCan I Kick It,\u201d and while Mamdani hasn\u2019t yet earned a shout-out in New York rap\u2019s pantheon, his grassroots approach to campaigning reflects the hip-hop that raised him. That love was intertwined throughout his campaign. He admitted that Das Racist alum Heems\u2019 endorsement of Ali Najmi for City Council jump-started his political career. In the lead-up to the election, opponents tried to link his annual July 4th post of Dipset as proof that he\u2019s\u00a0 \u201cpro-terrorist.\u201d The Islamophobia in the race made it clear that his detractors would go to great lengths to smear him, even over pictures of Dipset posts.<\/a><\/p>\n

At a time when hip-hop was criticized for its absence from the Billboard charts and Grammys, the rap community also stayed largely quiet during Mamdani\u2019s mayoral run, despite his agenda serving many of the same neighborhoods that shaped these artists. Jim Jones<\/a>, Maino<\/a>, and Dave East campaigned <\/a>for Eric Adams, even as Adams\u2019 policing and housing policies disproportionately harmed Black and Brown communities. Dave East seemingly switched sides<\/a> just in time for the release of Karma 4<\/a>, but that\u2019s neither here nor there. Since the failed Harris presidential run, celebrity endorsements have lost some political punch, but they remain a goldmine for campaigns if leveraged authentically.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zohran Mamdani Vs. 50 Cent<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s strategy mirrored some of hip-hop\u2019s greatest beefs, punctuated by stepping out to Ja Rule<\/a>\u2019s quintessential New York anthem for his victory. This came after inflammatory comments from 50 Cent, who opposed higher taxes on the 1% of New Yorkers making $1 million or more. Fif declared<\/a> New York \u201cdead\u201d and invited ex-pats to Shreveport, Louisiana. Mamdani poked fun at Fif on The Breakfast Club, launching what felt like a hilarious spat between the mayor-elect and hip-hop\u2019s boldest bully.<\/p>\n

And yet, Mamdani took a page out of 50 Cent\u2019s book. Entering to the instrumental of \u201cNew York\u201d was more than a victory song\u2014it was a petty and strategic cultural statement. The track\u2019s history ties one of the biggest rap feuds in New York through Ja Rule\u2019s verses critiquing 50 (and even invoking Donald Trump), and reinforces that connection. Jadakiss and Fat Joe<\/a>\u2019s appearances on the song further amplified the symbolism. Tying up a campaign with a pointed cultural jab was not only appropriate but a moment of vindication for a candidate who faced backlash for very little actual controversy. Fif continued posting on Instagram, but his feud with Mamdani is likely rooted in fearmongering New Yorkers over tax proposals rather than a genuine threat to socialism-lite initiatives aimed at affordability\u2014policies far removed from Fif\u2019s current reality. It\u2019s worth noting that Mamdani has represented Queens, Fif\u2019s stomping grounds, for years.<\/p>\n

As easily as this could have been a performative act to draw in younger voters, Mamdani proved he could walk the walk. Understanding the dynamics of hip-hop, specifically rap beef, made his campaign captivating from the start. Fif\u2019s \u201cMany Men\u201d became an emotional and existential undercurrent<\/a>\u2014not because of Fif personally, but as a reflection of the resilience required in a city where Muslim New Yorkers were vilified after 9\/11. In Mamdani\u2019s words, it\u2019s a song that resonated as death threats mounted against him.<\/p>\n

The Politics Of Rap Beef<\/p>\n

The spirit of hip-hop was present throughout his campaign. Much like New York\u2019s mixtape ecosystem relied on hand-to-hand distribution, Mamdani mobilized door-to-door, engaging residents directly, regardless of political affiliation. That approach captured the attention<\/a> of Wu-Tang Clan, Run The Jewels, and The LOX, who praised what came across as the most refreshing political campaign in modern New York.<\/p>\n

Mamdani also drew inspiration from the 2024 Drake-Kendrick feud, using it as a blueprint for debate strategy against Cuomo and Sliwa. \u201cKendrick absolutely destroyed him. It\u2019s a testament to message discipline over many songs, and it\u2019s an inspiration for me as a politician to always stay on my message. I try to do what Kendrick did, but around affordability. At every juncture, he would bring it back to his core points, and that\u2019s key. For me, it\u2019s about the fact that New Yorkers can\u2019t afford to live in the city they call home,\u201d he told Pitchfork<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In debates, Mamdani sliced through Cuomo methodically, while the former governor\u2019s attempts to undermine him felt akin to \u201cTaylor Made Freestyle.\u201d Mamdani\u2019s haymaker: \u201cWhat I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity, and what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.\u201d It wasn\u2019t \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d but it landed like Jadakiss dropping \u201cI Shot Ya\u201d against Dipset. Since the Democratic primaries, Mamdani has been the underdog rising to the top, crushing the establishment from both sides.<\/p>\n

But perhaps Mamdani\u2019s most convincing clapback came during the early parts of the Democratic primaries. During the Democratic debate, when each of the candidates said their first trip as mayor would be to Israel, Mamdani assured New Yorkers that his focus would be the five boroughs and maintained that position even as he was smeared as anti-Semitic. But through the noise of foreign influence and multi-million-dollar political attacks, it only proved that Zohran Mamdani, like Jadakiss on that Verzuz stage, was truly outside with the real New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n