{"id":459882,"date":"2026-06-04T02:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/459882\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T02:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:48:13","slug":"asap-rocky-says-he-can-beat-zohran-mamdani-in-a-rap-battle-mayor-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/459882\/","title":{"rendered":"ASAP Rocky Says He Can Beat Zohran Mamdani in a Rap Battle, Mayor Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tA$AP Rocky<\/a> is confident in his ability to win, whether it\u2019s in a rap battle or election \u2014 even if his opponent is Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a clip<\/a> from his Vibe cover story interview shared Tuesday (June 2), the rapper \u2014 born Rakim Mayers \u2014 exercised his characteristic confidence when asked about the possibility of going bar for bar with the mayor of New York City. \u201cMamdani wanna rap battle me?\u201d Rocky said incredulously. \u201cNo way he called me out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMamdani ain\u2019t f\u2013king with me,\u201d the hip-hop star continued after the interviewer reminded him that someone at the 2026 Met Gala had apparently asked him about battling the mayor. \u201cListen, I\u2019m already coming for his spot, \u2019cause I\u2019m about to be Mayor Mayers in like four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf he wanna battle we can do that, if he wanna have a little debate, we can do that, too,\u201d Rocky added. \u201cI\u2019m here to do something, humanitarian work for the city that I\u2019m from. All bulls\u2013t aside, I\u2019m really gonna run for mayor. Watch this s\u2013t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen reached for comment, Jeremy Edwards, the mayor\u2019s deputy press secretary, told Billboard in a statement: \u201cMayor Mamdani is well aware that he would lose a rap battle to Lord Flacko. That said, the mayor welcomes any opportunity to collaborate with his fellow Knicks fan to make NYC more affordable so every New Yorker can always strive and prosper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMamdani has been NYC\u2019s mayor since winning the election this past November. He\u2019s made history for being the city\u2019s most progressive mayor to date, and he\u2019s (probably) also the first person to hold the seat who previously recorded his own rap music. During his campaign last year, supporters dug up<\/a> his old rap catalog, discovering that he released an EP in 2016 titled Sidda Mukyaalo with collaborator Hab under the moniker Young Cardamom.<\/p>\n

\n\tRocky, who was born and raised in Harlem, has also been open about his political ambitions in the past. \u201cThere are a lot of political affairs that need to be addressed, changes that need to be made,\u201d he told Esquire<\/a> in January. \u201cI think that I would really do well because I\u2019m a guy that\u2019s for the people \u2026 [in] 2029, vote for Mayor Mayers. Vote for Rocky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRocky dropped his most recent album, Don\u2019t Be Dumb, in January, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tWatch Rocky discuss going up against Mamdani in his Vibe chat below:<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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