Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York City, made a shrewd song choice when walking out for his victory speech on Tuesday night.
As seen in the video below, he took the stage to the sounds of Ja Rule’s track “New York,” featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss. The song served as the second single to the Queens-born artist’s 2004 album R.U.L.E.
“Together, we will usher in a generation of change,” Mamdani said at one point in his speech. “And if we embrace this brave new course rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves.”
He continued: “After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you. Turn the volume up.”
As was quickly pointed out on social media, Mamdani’s choice of “New York” as his walkout music is particularly shrewd given the criticism he’s faced from 50 Cent, whose extensive back-and-forth with Ja has spanned years while spurring a seemingly endless stream of headlines.
Before clinching the mayoral election, Mamdani was asked about 50’s criticism during an interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber. He responded by detailing the importance of taxing the rich, highlighting his plan’s potential to “transform every New Yorker’s life, including their own.” In the same interview, Mamdani shouted out 50’s 2003 track “Many Men,” confirming he remains a fan despite their disagreements.
50, meanwhile, has continued to criticize Mamdani on his platform of choice, Instagram. Tuesday morning, he specifically responded to Mamdani’s Ja Rule-soundtracked walkout, saying “of course he would walk out to that fool.”
To be clear, Mamdani’s victory no doubt marks a rare sign of encouragement in our current political climate in the U.S. Hopefully, this is the start of a new wave of progressivism across the country.