Overview
- Mamdani named The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, and Common as his all-time top five without ranking them.
- The list surfaced in a conversation with educator Jose Vilson and the clip spread widely across social platforms this week.
- Lupe Fiasco reshared the video on March 17 with a flexed-biceps emoji in response to his inclusion.
- Explaining Nas’s place on the list, Mamdani cited Queensbridge Houses, which he noted as the largest public housing development in North America.
- Coverage revisited his long-running ties to hip-hop, including a 2016 EP released under the names Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom, past chatter over Dipset references, and his election-night use of Ja Rule’s “New York.”