50 Cent vs. Zohran Mamdani: NYC Mayoral Race Heats Up as Hip-Hop Meets Politics
Written by b87fm on 11/04/2025
The tension between Hip-Hop and New York City politics reached new heights this week after 50 Cent took aim at Democratic mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, slamming the candidate’s proposed tax hikes and public safety reforms—and Mamdani didn’t hesitate to fire back.
On Monday night (Nov. 3), the Queens-born rap mogul shared a clip from Mamdani’s appearance on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, warning that the politician’s plan could “run the big money out of the city” and lead to chaos if the NYPD loses funding.
“I think his intentions are good,” 50 wrote, “but his tax plan is gonna run the big money out of the city and if he defunds the police they are gonna purge.”
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Mamdani Fires Back — With Humor and Policy
Mamdani responded live on air, mixing humor with substance while addressing 50’s viral critique.
“He’s a critic!” Mamdani joked. “I didn’t even know what my salary would be until I saw 50 Cent’s Instagram post offering me a specific dollar amount to leave New York. I was like, ‘That’s oddly specific!’”
The 34-year-old Assembly member then spoke directly to the camera, saying:
“Having the top one percent of New Yorkers—those making more than one million dollars a year—pay two percent more is how we build a city that works for everyone. That’s an investment in our future.”
He added that wealthier residents also benefit when the city properly funds its core services:
“When trash cans aren’t emptied, when library hours are cut, when social programs collapse—that affects everyone, rich or poor.”
Pressed about 50’s mock “offer,” Mamdani laughed, recalling the number:
“$258,000 and a first-class one-way ticket out of New York. I’m flattered, but I’m staying.”
While critics have accused him of pushing to “defund” the NYPD, Mamdani clarified he’s proposing a Department of Community Safety—a new branch designed to handle non-criminal emergencies like mental health crises and homelessness.
His plan expands the city’s B-HEARD program, which sends social workers and EMTs to certain 911 calls, and focuses on community investment rather than police cuts.
In a race already defined by generational and cultural divides, Mamdani’s exchange with one of Hip-Hop’s most outspoken underscored how music, money, and politics continue to collide in the city that birthed both rap and modern power plays.
