Consider it an eye-popping piece of evidence unlikely to swing the 2025 New York City mayoral race in either direction.
In an interview Thursday on CNN’s “OutFront” with host Erin Burnett, radical socialist Zohran Mamdani, who raised eyebrows across the nation on Tuesday by defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic Party’s mayoral primary in the Big Apple, looked sheepish when Burnett played a brief clip from one of Mamdani’s old rap videos.
The clip appeared at the :48 mark of a video posted Thursday to the social media platform X.
While it played, Mamdani had an embarrassed-looking smile on his face.
“Once you do it, it’s out there,” Burnett joked when the clip ended.
“I didn’t think it was gonna be on CNN,” he replied.
Burnett then used that clip as a springboard into a question about critics who suggest that Mamdani lacks qualifications to serve as New York City’s mayor.
Mamdani seemed prepared for that question, for he cited the complexities of managing his campaign as evidence of his readiness.
“I didn’t think it was going to be on CNN.”
Watch as #NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani watches his past performance as a rapper and responds to critics who say he’s not ready to run New York. He speaks one-on-one with @ErinBurnett. pic.twitter.com/zVV4tL8iKr
— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) June 27, 2025
Do you think Mamdani will be elected mayor of New York City?
Normally, we would include Mamdani’s entire rap video, which he performed under the name “Mr. Cardamom.”
We have opted not to do so, however, for two reasons. First, from the beginning the song features a string of pointless f-bombs. And second, the song is absolutely terrible. It assaults your ears in ways that should be illegal.
Still, those who wish to view said video despite these warnings may do so [ed. note: one final warning] here.
As for the video’s possible effect on the mayoral race, it likely will do minimal harm.
One senses, for instance, that the vulgarity alone will not hurt Mamdani. After all, President Donald Trump dropped an f-bomb of his own as recently as Tuesday.
Likewise, among those already inclined to vote for a socialist, an old rap video will not seem disqualifying. It could, by contrast, merely add to Mamdani’s growing celebrity.
The only aspect of the video likely to hurt Mamdani is the fact that it is awful — ghastly, really. Among politicians aspiring to music, perhaps only last week’s guitar “performance” by Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia sounded worse.
Talk about Tone-Deaf messaging!
Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson releases hilariously bad anti-Trump song, and you just have to hear this 😂 pic.twitter.com/2uqSK6Uhm6
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) June 20, 2025
Of course, nothing — not even Johnson on guitar — sounds as ghastly as Mamdani’s ideas.
For instance, the socialist has proposed city-owned grocery stores as well as massive tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy. Those who can afford to flee the city have already started preparing to do so.
In short, whatever New York Democrats might think about ghastly music, their voting records prove that they love ghastly ideas. That bodes well for their former rapper and current mayoral hopeful.
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