How NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani 'swapped' beats for ballots!

Once an aspiring rapper known as ‘Mr. Cardamom,’ Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, sent a heartfelt email to Stereogum in 2017, pleading for a write-up on his new single, "Salaam." At the time, he was just another face in the NYC music scene, trying to make a name for himself. “It would be a dream if someone at Stereogum would write about this in any which way,” he wrote, his lyrical aspirations teetering on the edge of obscurity.

"Sorry, we missed this, Mr Mayor-Elect," Stereogum, which features album reviews, tweeted, while attaching a screenshot of an email sent by Mamdani on March 27, 2017.

Fast forward to today, and Mamdani is no longer just hoping for media attention; he’s the first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor of New York City! The same city where he once rapped about the complexities of being a Muslim in America now celebrates him as its leader.

His earlier work also included the cheeky homage to chapati in "Kanda (Chap Chap)," where he hilariously celebrated the beloved flatbread. And he enlisted the legendary Madhur Jaffrey, at the age of 86, to star in his music video for "Nani".

And not to forget, after his recent electrifying victory speech, Mamdani walked off the stage to the iconic beats of "Dhoom Machale," proving that his love for music hasn’t waned.