Rapper-turned-reformer Zohran Mamdani unconventional path to NYC mayoral
The 33-year-old Democratic socialist and first-generation immigrant has just pulled off a stunning political upset, defeating former Governor and seasoned political heavyweight Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
DANIAL HAKIM
SHAH ALAM – He rapped his way through high school, surfed SoundCloud in his twenties and now, Zohran Mamdani, rapper-turned-rent reformer, is one step away from becoming the next Mayor of New York City.
The 33-year-old Democratic socialist and first-generation immigrant has just pulled off a stunning political upset, defeating former Governor and seasoned political heavyweight Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
He is now primed to record a historic moment in United States (US) history as the first Muslim immigrant Mayor of New York City, the country’s largest city.
A Mayor in the Making, Born in Kampala
Born in Kampala, Uganda, to celebrated filmmaker Mira Nair and Harvard professor Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran was just seven when his family moved to New York.
Despite having a last name that carried prestige in academic and creative circles, Zohran’s own path was what many would call unconventional.
Still, for immigrants around the world who resonated with him, his journey was not all that different from theirs.
He grew up navigating immigrant life in Queens, attended the Bronx High School of Science where he lost a student council race after running a campaign entirely in rhyme and eventually earned a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College.
There, he co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, planting the seeds of a lifelong activist streak.
He became a US citizen in 2018 and wasted no time diving into grassroots politics.
Just three years later, he won a seat in the New York State Assembly representing Astoria, Queens and the rest, as they say, is political history in the making.
Mr. Cardamom, Your Future Mayor?
Before politics, there was poetry. And beats subjective tastes apply. Mamdani's past life as a rapper under the names "Young Cardamom" and "Mr. Cardamom" has become the internet’s favourite subplot in his meteoric rise.
His single “#1 Spice,” created with childhood friend Abdul Car Hussein (a.k.a. HAB), earned a spot on the soundtrack of Disney’s Queen of Katwe, a film directed by his own mother.
“Every brown boy lived on SoundCloud at one point,” he joked during a recent appearance on the Kutti Gang comedy show.
“I’m running on a very simple message. It’s not about being on SoundCloud, though, respect," he said.
His 2019 music video for the track “Nani,” a playful ode to his grandmother Praveen Nair (founder of the Salaam Baalak Trust), starred Indian-American legend Madhur Jaffrey and has now surpassed 279,000 views on YouTube.
With lyrics like “85 years gold” and “best damn Nani that you ever done seen,” Mamdani’s creative chops clearly extend beyond policy memos.
Grassroots Gold
Mamdani’s campaign has echoed the structure of his past projects: creative, scrappy and built on community support.
His bid for mayor raised over US$7 million, largely from more than 16,000 small donors.
Consider that his net worth, estimated only to be between US$200,000 and US$300,000, stands in stark contrast to the billionaires who typically dominate American politics.
His income largely comes from his US$142,000 salary as an Assemblyman and he also receives annual rap royalties, amounting to approximately US$1,267 per year.
It is not just about the money. Mamdani’s message has resonated across New York’s working-class, immigrant and progressive communities.
His proposals include free public buses, city-run affordable grocery stores, tripling the production of union-built rent-stabilised housing and a US$10 billion tax hike on the wealthy to fund it all.
"This is a city where one in four of its people are living in poverty, a city where 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night.
“Ultimately, it's a city that is in danger of losing that which makes it so special," Mamdani said in a talk with BBC.
Unafraid and Unapologetically Muslim
A sorely missed but undoubtedly needed element in America’s often complex and ever-shifting stance on pro-Islamic and anti-Islamic matters is a Muslim voice.
Mamdani, however, wears his faith proudly. It is interesting to note that throughout his campaign and during Ramadan, he broke fast on a subway train with a burrito to highlight food insecurity.
He also frequently visited mosques and released a campaign video entirely in Urdu.
“We know that to stand in public as a Muslim is also to sacrifice the safety that we can sometimes find in the shadows,” he told a rally this spring.
Despite the overwhelming support from American Muslims and Muslims worldwide, that visibility has undoubtedly painted a large bullseye target on his back.
Throughout his campaign, Mamdani has faced Islamophobic threats and even calls for deportation from Donald Trump-aligned council members—despite being a US citizen.
“Death threats. Islamophobic bigotry. Now a sitting Council member is calling for my deportation. Enough. This is what Trump and his sycophants have wrought. It’s an assault on the values of our city and our Constitution,” his response stated.
Trump’s Worst Nightmare
If Mamdani is the musical, multicultural antithesis of a billionaire real estate mogul and twice-impeached convicted felon, it is most definitely not by accident.
“I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,” Mamdani declared earlier in his campaign.
Trump, never one to hold back, took to Truth Social with his signature flair for hyperbole and insult and fired back at the soon-to-be youngest New York Mayor in United States history.
“It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100 per cent communist lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart,” Trump wrote.
In a separate post, Trump mocked Democratic backers like New York City congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and called US Senator Chuck Schumer “our Great Palestinian Senator,” accusing him of “grovelling over Mamdani.”
A Hopeful Future
Whether rapping about turmeric or battling for tenant rights, Mamdani’s journey from Kampala to City Hall has never been linear.
It’s been poetic, political and sometimes personal. With his grassroots engine, progressive policies and a platform grounded in dignity and diversity, he’s not just campaigning for mayor, he’s rewriting what leadership can look like in the biggest city in the world.
“Tonight, we made history.
“I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City," Mamdani told his supporters.
All that’s left is the final chorus when Mr. Cardamom becomes Mayor Mamdani, bringing some poetic justice to New York and America.
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