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Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Big salary, elite roots — So why does Zohran Mamdani declare just Rs 2 Lakh in net worth?
Despite his upbringing among film royalty, red-carpet premieres, and elite private schools, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani claims to have less than 1.66 lakh ($2,000) to his name. The 33-year-old Democratic Socialist assemblyman, who recently announced his bid for mayor, made the disclosure in state ethics filings reviewed by the New York Post. This, despite pulling in a 1.09 crore ($131,000) taxpayer-funded salary and being the only child of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. While Mamdani has long embraced his image as a champion of the working class, even calling himself a 'nepo baby' in interviews, the gap between his declared finances and privileged background has sparked new questions ahead of his mayoral run. According to the Post, Mamdani reported no US-based property, investments, or significant savings but only a retirement fund with less than $2,000 from a 2019 nonprofit job and a sum of up to 4.15 lakh ($5,000) in music royalties from his past life as a rapper, 'Mr. Cardamom.' His only significant asset: four acres of land in Uganda, valued between 1.25 crore to 2.08 crore ($150,000 and $250,000), acquired roughly a decade ago. As per critics, the disclosures don't add up. 'More drama from a guy who grew up with three silver spoons in his mouth,' political strategist Hank Sheinkopf told the Post. 'If anybody believes Mamdani is a poor person, they need to see a psychiatrist.' The son of two global intellectuals, Mamdani grew up in a Columbia University-owned apartment overlooking Riverside Drive, an Ivy League-subsidised property where his father, a tenured professor, continues to live. His mother, Mira Nair, is best known for directing Monsoon Wedding and Disney's Queen of Katwe. The family's former Chelsea condo sold for $1.45 million in 2019, the Post reported. As a child, Mamdani attended the elite Bank Street School, where tuition now exceeds 55 lakh per year ($66,000). He later walked red carpets with his parents and contributed music to his mother's films, including a soundtrack slot on Queen of Katwe. Still, since entering politics, Mamdani has worked hard to distance himself from his privileged roots. He now lives in a rent-stabilised Queens apartment and has leaned into grassroots activism, championing causes like tenant protections, police abolition, and public power. But some say he's blurring the line between authenticity and performance. 'Everything about him feels curated — even the 'eating with hands' video felt like an act,' said Renu Mukherjee of the Manhattan Institute, referring to a resurfaced video where Mamdani awkwardly tries to eat with his hands for the camera. 'He looks like a perpetual theatre kid pretending to be 'Third World.'' His office declined to comment on the Post report or clarify whether he holds any additional assets via family trusts or accounts outside the US Notably, New York's ethics forms don't require disclosure of personal bank accounts or non-US financial holdings, a gap some watchdogs say could allow candidates to obscure wealth. Sheinkopf was blunt: 'This guy's no regular New Yorker. He's about as close to the average person as Nelson Rockefeller was.'
New York Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani declares only $2,000 in bank in latest disclosure
Self-described 'nepo baby' Zohran Mamdani declared a measly $2,000 in the bank on his latest state disclosures. That's despite his privileged upbringing and family money — and an annual salary of $131,000 as a state lawmaker, a job he's had for five years. 9 Mamdani, here celebrating his recent primary win with his parents, had by all accounts a privileged upbringing. Getty Images Advertisement The 33-year-old socialist Democratic nominee for NYC mayor did list one unusual asset — four acres of land in his native Uganda that he acquired about a decade ago, worth between $150,000 and $250,000. He disclosed no US property or investments on the documents, released by the state this week. The $2,000 on his form comes from a retirement plan from the housing-focused social-justice organization Chhaya, where he worked briefly as a 'foreclosure prevention counselor' in 2019, before he was elected in 2020 to represent Queen's 36th District in the state Assembly. Advertisement 9 Mamdani lived in Kampala, Uganda until he was five, before the family moved to South Africa, and two years later NYC. Adrian Solumsmo – He's declared the exact same amount of 'less than $2,000' for five years in a row in filings to the state Legislative Ethics Commission. 'More drama from a guy who grew up with three silver spoons in his mouth,' quipped political strategist Hank Sheinkopf. 'If anybody believes that Mamdani is a poor person, they need to see a psychiatrist. This is a complete lie. He's trying to sell people this nonsense that he's this poor kid,' he told The Post. Advertisement 9 Mamdani lives in a rent-stabilized apartment and grew up in subsidized housing but complained about rent hikes. Getty Images State lawmakers are only required to report investments and retirement plans, and don't have to disclose how much they have in regular savings or checking accounts. They are also not required to reveal trust funds established by their relatives — and in Mamdani's case that could be a windfall, observers have noted. 9 Mamdani attended the Disney premiere with his mother Mira Nair in 2016. Getty Images for Disney Advertisement 9 Nair directed Disney's Queen of Katwe, a story about a girl from the slums of Uganda who becomes a chess champion. Getty Images for Disney Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated filmmaker, who has made movies for Disney and a series for Netflix, and whose productions have starred the likes of Denzel Washington. Nair sold a posh West Chelsea 2-bedroom that she had owned for more than 10 years in 2019 for $1.45 million. 9 Nair has received multiple awards for her films. Getty Images for Disney His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a chaired professor of African history and colonialism at Columbia University who won multiple prizes and published more than a dozen books. Professors in similar positions make an average of $308,000 a year, according to American Association of University Professors data. The Harvard-educated couple still live in the stylish Ivy League and taxpayer-subsidized 3-bed, 3-bath corner apartment on Riverside Drive — with weekly maid service — where Mamdani grew up while he attended elite $66,000-a-year Bank Street School. 'This is all nonsense and an attempt to show that he's a man of the people when he's about as close to the people as Nelson Rockefeller was,' said Sheinkopf. Advertisement 9 The complex on Riverside Drive has 38 apartments, exclusively for Columbia faculty and staff. Google Maps 9 The family has lived in this bright 3-bedroom corner unit in upper Manhattan for 25 years. via Zillow Critics pointed to Mamdani's recently resurfaced hand-eating stunt as proof of the 'tax the rich' socialist trying to sell his narrative. 'A perpetual theatre kid who's pretending to be 'Third World.' It's all so, so performative + stupid,' railed Manhattan Institute fellow Renu Mukherjee on X. Advertisement 'He looks uncomfortable eating with his hands,' she noted. Mamdani was a self-described 'B-list rapper,' performing under the stage name 'Mr. Cardamom' before he went into politics. 9 Mamdani had a stint as a rapper under the moniker Mr. Cardamom before he went into politics. Mr. Cardamom/Youtube He also sometimes went by the moniker 'Young Cardamom,' like in the song '#1 spice' that was part of the soundtrack for his mother's Disney movie. Advertisement The former rapper turned politician disclosed up to $5,000 in royalties in 2024 from his musical stint. Mamdani's office declined to comment.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani Used to Rap — and His Catalog Has Been Surging in Streams
On Tuesday night (June 24), New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani became the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, defeating a crowded field that included early frontrunner and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. As the race heated up and Mamdani gained momentum, a surprising part of his past re-emerged online: his rap career. More from Billboard NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani's Old Rap Videos Are Going Viral Ask Billboard: Here Are the Nos. 1 & 2 Reasons That the Hot 100 Has Been Historic This Month Inside Bouyon: How a Fusion of Local Folk Music & Digitized Instruments Gave Way to Dominica's Fast-Spreading Homegrown Genre Before his political rise, the 33-year-old rapped under the names Young Cardamom and then Mr. Cardamom. As old videos circulated online in the lead-up to the primary, curious voters were quick to stream his music, resulting in notable gains. In 2016, Mamdani released a six-track EP, Sidda Mukyaalo, alongside his close friend and collaborator Abdul Bar Hussein (who raps under the name HAB). On the EP, the pair raps in six different languages, while drawing from the members' shared Ugandan heritage — Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to New York City at age seven. In addition to the EP, the tandem released the song '#1 Spice' on the soundtrack to the Disney biographical drama Queen of Katwe. Here's a recent week-by-week breakdown of on-demand official streams for Young Cardamom and HAB's catalog (which comprises seven songs), in the United States and globally, according to Luminate: Combined U.S. Streams for Young Cardamom & HAB's Catalog May 23-29: less than 1,000 May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 (up 10%) June 6-12: 2,000 (up 473%) June 13-19: 15,000 (up 582%) Combined Global Streams for Young Cardamom & HAB's Catalog May 23-29: less than 1,000 May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 (up 24%) June 6-12: 3,000 (up 312%) June 13-19: 20,000 (up 555%) Compared to the two weeks before the news of Mamdani's rap background surfaced (May 23-June 5), the duo's catalog jumped 2,300% in the U.S. and 1,543% globally. '#1 Spice' saw the most substantial gains in the act's catalog. Queen of Katwe stars Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo, and was directed by Mamdani's mother, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair. Nyong'o even appears in the song's music video, alongside Mamdani and HAB. Here's a four-week breakdown of the song's streams in both the U.S. and globally: U.S. Streams for '#1 Spice' May 23-29: less than 1,000 May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 June 6-12: 2,000 (up 561%) June 13-19: 14,000 (up 557%) Global Streams for '#1 Spice' May 23-29: less than 1,000 May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 (up 29%) June 6-12: 3,000 (up 362%) June 13-19: 19,000 (up 556%) In just two weeks, '#1 Spice' surged by 2,600% in U.S. streams and 1,900% globally. According to a 2019 New York Times story about actress Madhur Jaffrey, Mamdani made his rap debut in the late 2000s while running for student vice president at Bronx High School of Science. He rapped under a platform that promised freshly squeezed juices for all. He lost that election, but it paved the way for his future political aspirations. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
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Business Standard
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Salaam New York: Zohran Mamdani & a fusion of 3 cross-continental cultures
There has been a development in New York that challenges Donald Trump's America, where certain subjects – such as diversity, inclusion, immigrants, and Palestine – have become difficult to venture into. It is the primary victory of Zohran Kwame Mamdani in the mayoral election, one that makes him likely to become New York City's first Indian-American and first Muslim mayor if he wins against the Republican candidate in November. The 33-year-old Democratic candidate, who is a former Republican, was born to immigrant parents, supports Palestine, has a socialist agenda for New York, including free childcare and rent cap, feels strongly about climate change, wants to tax wealthy Big Apple residents, and increase corporate tax. His pro-Palestine slogan, 'Globalise the intifada (rebellion or uprising)', has his opponents gunning for him and the American media dissecting his politics, but he has stood his ground. In many ways, Mamdani symbolises multiculturalism, which stems from the family he comes from, the relationships he has forged, and the arts he has embraced. His mother, Mira Nair, is a well-recognised Indian-American filmmaker, many of whose movies have been critically acclaimed globally. Among them are Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, Queen of Katwe, Monsoon Wedding, in each of which she pushes boundaries, often turning the spotlight on the underdog, bringing the missable into focus: Whether it is about the struggles of first-generation immigrants (The Namesake), who are caught between two cultures, and their children, who believe they belong to their parents' adopted country but don't quite; or, about the precarious lives of children in the slums of the financial powerhouse now called Mumbai (Salaam Bombay!), where the actors are the street children themselves; or about the travails of a 10-year-old chess prodigy born in a disadvantaged part of Uganda (Queen of Katwe). There is a story behind the name 'Nair', which appears to indicate that Mamdani's mother has roots in Kerala. She is, however, a Punjabi, and her father was in the Indian Administrative Service and mother a social worker. The family name, Nayyar, was changed to 'Nair' by her grandfather for reasons unclear. There is also a story behind Mamdani's middle name, 'Kwame'. It was given to him by his Indian-Ugandan father, Mahmood Mamdani, in honour of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, whom the BBC described as a 'Hero of Independence' and an 'international symbol of freedom as the leader of the first black African country to shake off the chains of colonial rule'. An academic, Mamdani Senior, whose specialisation includes colonialism and post-colonialism, was born in pre-Independence Bombay to Gujarati Shia Muslim parents, who later migrated to Kampala, Uganda. He would, after coming to study in the United States in the '60s, participate in the civil rights movement, and would also be jailed. It wouldn't be amiss to say that a lot of Zohran Mamdani's politics has been shaped by his parents'. In 2013, for instance, Mira Nair had turned down an invitation to the Haifa International Film Festival in Israel as a guest of honour. On what was then called Twitter, and is now X, she posted: 'I will go to Israel when the walls come down. I will go to Israel when occupation is gone... I stand w/ Palestine for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel…' The mayor probable's parents, incidentally, met in Uganda while Nair was researching for Mississippi Masala, and that's where he was born in 1991 – coincidentally, the year the film was released. The couple immigrated to the US when he was seven. Earlier this year, Zohran Mamdani married Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji, whose work, besides exploring migration, heritage, community and identity, also draws to pro-Palestinian themes. The arts have been Mamdani's constant companion – not just because of his filmmaker mother and artist wife. He is a former rapper. Nine years ago, he released an EP, titled 'Sidda Mukyaalo' (Luganda for 'No going back to the village'), along with Ugandan rapper HAB. And in 2019 came a single, titled 'Nani' – a tribute to his maternal grandmother, Praveen Nair, rich with cultural references to India. It featured the multifaceted actor and cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey as a revolutionary 'nani'. This video can be found on the YouTube channel called 'Mr Cardamom', a moniker Mamdani gave himself. It's a clever sobriquet, given that he is a lawmaker from Queens, and cardamom is recognised as the 'queen of spices'. It is a versatile spice, one that works both in sweet and savoury preparations, and while it is never the core ingredient, it always makes its presence known. Mamdani has also made the world sit up and take note. In 2019, when he first ran for office (New York State Assembly), he redirected his followers from 'Mr Cardamom' to his official handle on X with this message: '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….'. His official handle now has something like 376,000 followers, whereas Mr Cardamom is at 380. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has gone after Mamdani through his social media platform, Truth Social, branding him a '100 per cent communist lunatic' and saying that 'the Democrats have crossed the line'. The rapper-turned-politician, however, is staying the course. In November, if he is elected New York City's mayor, one of the things he'll be doing is to oversee the largest municipal Budget in the US.
Sinar Daily
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sinar Daily
Rapper-turned-reformer Zohran Mamdani unconventional path to NYC mayoral
SHAH ALAM – He rapped his way through high school, surfed SoundCloud in his twenties and now, Zohran Mamdani, rapper-turned-rent reformer, is one step away from becoming the next Mayor of New York City. The 33-year-old Democratic socialist and first-generation immigrant has just pulled off a stunning political upset, defeating former Governor and seasoned political heavyweight Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) speaks to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. AFP photo He is now primed to record a historic moment in United States (US) history as the first Muslim immigrant Mayor of New York City, the country's largest city. A Mayor in the Making, Born in Kampala Born in Kampala, Uganda, to celebrated filmmaker Mira Nair and Harvard professor Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran was just seven when his family moved to New York. Despite having a last name that carried prestige in academic and creative circles, Zohran's own path was what many would call unconventional. Still, for immigrants around the world who resonated with him, his journey was not all that different from theirs. He grew up navigating immigrant life in Queens, attended the Bronx High School of Science where he lost a student council race after running a campaign entirely in rhyme and eventually earned a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College. There, he co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, planting the seeds of a lifelong activist streak. He became a US citizen in 2018 and wasted no time diving into grassroots politics. Just three years later, he won a seat in the New York State Assembly representing Astoria, Queens and the rest, as they say, is political history in the making. Mr. Cardamom, Your Future Mayor? Before politics, there was poetry. And beats subjective tastes apply. Mamdani's past life as a rapper under the names "Young Cardamom" and "Mr. Cardamom" has become the internet's favourite subplot in his meteoric rise. His single '#1 Spice,' created with childhood friend Abdul Car Hussein (a.k.a. HAB), earned a spot on the soundtrack of Disney's Queen of Katwe, a film directed by his own mother. 'Every brown boy lived on SoundCloud at one point,' he joked during a recent appearance on the Kutti Gang comedy show. 'I'm running on a very simple message. It's not about being on SoundCloud, though, respect," he said. His 2019 music video for the track 'Nani,' a playful ode to his grandmother Praveen Nair (founder of the Salaam Baalak Trust), starred Indian-American legend Madhur Jaffrey and has now surpassed 279,000 views on YouTube. With lyrics like '85 years gold' and 'best damn Nani that you ever done seen,' Mamdani's creative chops clearly extend beyond policy memos. New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) greets voters with Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Blake on 161st Street on June 24, 2025 in the South Bronx in New York City. AFP photo Grassroots Gold Mamdani's campaign has echoed the structure of his past projects: creative, scrappy and built on community support. His bid for mayor raised over US$7 million, largely from more than 16,000 small donors. Consider that his net worth, estimated only to be between US$200,000 and US$300,000, stands in stark contrast to the billionaires who typically dominate American politics. His income largely comes from his US$142,000 salary as an Assemblyman and he also receives annual rap royalties, amounting to approximately US$1,267 per year. It is not just about the money. Mamdani's message has resonated across New York's working-class, immigrant and progressive communities. His proposals include free public buses, city-run affordable grocery stores, tripling the production of union-built rent-stabilised housing and a US$10 billion tax hike on the wealthy to fund it all. "This is a city where one in four of its people are living in poverty, a city where 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night. 'Ultimately, it's a city that is in danger of losing that which makes it so special," Mamdani said in a talk with BBC. Unafraid and Unapologetically Muslim A sorely missed but undoubtedly needed element in America's often complex and ever-shifting stance on pro-Islamic and anti-Islamic matters is a Muslim voice. Mamdani, however, wears his faith proudly. It is interesting to note that throughout his campaign and during Ramadan, he broke fast on a subway train with a burrito to highlight food insecurity. He also frequently visited mosques and released a campaign video entirely in Urdu. Mira Nair, New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) Rama Duwaji and Mahmood Mamdani celebrate on stage during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighbourhood of the Queens borough in New York City. AFP photo 'We know that to stand in public as a Muslim is also to sacrifice the safety that we can sometimes find in the shadows,' he told a rally this spring. Despite the overwhelming support from American Muslims and Muslims worldwide, that visibility has undoubtedly painted a large bullseye target on his back. Throughout his campaign, Mamdani has faced Islamophobic threats and even calls for deportation from Donald Trump-aligned council members—despite being a US citizen. 'Death threats. Islamophobic bigotry. Now a sitting Council member is calling for my deportation. Enough. This is what Trump and his sycophants have wrought. It's an assault on the values of our city and our Constitution,' his response stated. Trump's Worst Nightmare If Mamdani is the musical, multicultural antithesis of a billionaire real estate mogul and twice-impeached convicted felon, it is most definitely not by accident. 'I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,' Mamdani declared earlier in his campaign. Trump, never one to hold back, took to Truth Social with his signature flair for hyperbole and insult and fired back at the soon-to-be youngest New York Mayor in United States history. 'It's finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100 per cent communist lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart,' Trump wrote. In a separate post, Trump mocked Democratic backers like New York City congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and called US Senator Chuck Schumer 'our Great Palestinian Senator,' accusing him of 'grovelling over Mamdani.' A Hopeful Future Whether rapping about turmeric or battling for tenant rights, Mamdani's journey from Kampala to City Hall has never been linear. It's been poetic, political and sometimes personal. With his grassroots engine, progressive policies and a platform grounded in dignity and diversity, he's not just campaigning for mayor, he's rewriting what leadership can look like in the biggest city in the world. 'Tonight, we made history. 'I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City," Mamdani told his supporters. All that's left is the final chorus when Mr. Cardamom becomes Mayor Mamdani, bringing some poetic justice to New York and America.
