Zohran Mamdani's Journey From A "B-List" Rapper To NYC Mayoral Candidate

Currently, people know Zohran Mamdani as a Democratic Socialist contending to be the next mayor of New York City. However, before he became the dependable for NYC progressives, as he is now, he used to moonlight as a rapper - using Young Cardamom or Mr. Cardamom as a moniker.

Mamdani has humourously labelled himself as a "B-list rapper" and on his X account, which he used as a rapper, he promoted "Nani", a tribute to his grandmother, that debuted in April 2019.

You know I'll be forever spicy but I'm taking a break from being a spice to answer the question of what happens when a B-list rapper runs for office. Come through @ZohranKMamdani if you want answers. https://t.co/1n6O4SRp1a

— Mr. Cardamom (@MrCardamom) November 11, 2019

After Mamdani became popular, his song got attention too. The song features actress Madhur Jaffrey as his "nani" or grandmother, and starts off with Mamdani, or Cardamom, chastising her as "not a good nani", he then starts rapping about being "the best damn nani that you ever done seen".

Later on, in the video, Mamdani sports an apron in a food truck with other people, as he raps, "Go head make a wrap for your nani/Get the gwop spend a rack on your nani."

The rap video on YouTube has garnered 200,000 views and 43,105 streams on Spotify.

Mamdani told the New York Times that the song was written in 2017, about his grandmother Praveen Nair, who was the chairperson of Salaam Baalak Trust. He had rapped publicly the first time when he was in school. In 2015, he adopted his moniker Young Cardamom and collaborated with his friend Abdul Bar Hussein (rapper HAB) on "Kanda (Chap Chap)," a rap song on Ugandan-style chapati.

In 2017, the two friends collaborated on a song called #1 Spice, for the Disney film Queen of Katwe for which Mamdani served as music supervisor. The movie was directed by Mamdani's mother Mira Nair.

There are positive comments about Mamdani's rapper past. One user has commented on his YouTube song saying, "I love how every other politician has a crazy scandal and Zohran's just out here with a track about his Nani (grannie)."

Zohran Mamdani, an Indian origin socialite set to become the Democratic nominee in New York City's upcoming mayoral election, calls himself US President Donald Trump's "worst nightmare." Mamdani, who serves as a New York Assembly member, presents himself as an anti-status quo alternative to his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, who, according to him, is funded by billionaires who put Donald Trump in Washington DC.

The 33-year-old would be the first South Asian and first Muslim to lead the city, if elected in the November polls.

In 2018, he became a US citizen and two years later, ran for a seat in the New York State Assembly.

Mamdani's eye-catching policy proposals include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, free bus service, and universal childcare. In a city where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, his message struck a chord.

He promised to "Trump-proof" New York City, as the President attempts to attack sanctuary cities, with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raiding immigrants in blue and red cities alike. He also said that he will make New York City a safe city for LGBTQ+ Americans and those looking for reproductive healthcare.