Get the latest gossip

NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Old Rap Videos Are Going Viral

Zohran Mamdani's old rap videos are going viral amid his race to become New York City's next mayor.

According to a 2019 story about actress Madhur Jaffrey in The New York Times, Mamdani made his rap debut in the late 2000s while running for vice president at the Bronx High School of Science. “When it’s a Black friend or family member, it always takes a bit longer,” he raps on “Askari,” which finds him playing a security guard opening a gate quicker for a white person. One of the more recent tracks that has gone viral is his 2019 “Nani” video, a tribute to his grandmother, Praveen Nair, who worked for the nonprofit Salaam Baalak Trust.

Get the Android app