Zohran Mamdani Still Earns Royalties From His Short-Lived Rap Career

Zohran Mamdani might be getting paid by the city of New York, but he’s also still raking in a few dollars from his brief stint as a rapper.

According to ABC News, the New York City mayor made $1,643 from music royalties in 2025, a slight bump from his 2024 earnings of $1,267.

On Thursday (April 16), when speaking to reporters, Mamdani joked that constituents should “go to Spotify” if they want to help boost his rap earnings. “A lot of people say they’re listening,” the mayor said, before disputing the claims. “They’re not listening.”

Mamdani started rapping in his teens. In his twenties, he released socially conscious, multilingual songs under the monikers Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom. He rapped about everything from naan to colonialism and called himself a “C-list rapper,” apparently inspired by the now-defunct rap group Das Racist.

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Last year, Mamdani made most of his income as a state Assembly member, earning a $131,296 salary. His wife, Rama Duwaji, earned $10,010 from her graphic design work, bringing their total income to around $145,000. As the mayor, Mamdani will make considerably more, with a salary of $258,750 in 2026.

In November, Mamdani became New York City’s 112th mayor. He won the race with just over 50 percent of the vote, with voter turnout surpassing two million — the highest since 1969. He received over 999,000 votes, securing a win against Republican Curtis Sliwa and former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent.

Mamdani is New York City’s first Muslim and African-born mayor, and is the youngest person to hold the office in over a century.

Zohran Mamdani Still Earns Royalties From His Short-Lived Rap Career

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