New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani isn’t letting 50 Cent’s viral criticism stop him from showing love to the rapper’s music. During an interview on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, Mamdani addressed 50’s recent comments about his proposed tax plan and took the opportunity to respond with both humor and perspective.
“He’s a critic,” Mamdani said with a laugh. “I didn’t even know what my salary would be until I opened the Gram and saw a post that said ‘50 Cent offers Mamdani this amount of money.’ I was like, that’s a very specific number. Oh my god.”
50 Cent had taken issue with Mamdani’s plan to raise taxes on New York’s wealthiest residents if elected mayor, arguing that the proposal would hurt the city’s top earners. But Mamdani doubled down, explaining that his policy is about fairness and long-term investment in the city’s future.
“I continue to believe that asking the top one percent of New Yorkers who make more than one million dollars a year to pay two percent more is a reasonable step,” he said. “It’s an investment that would transform the lives of all New Yorkers, including theirs. When the city underfunds agencies, cuts library hours, or removes trash cans, everyone feels that impact. My responsibility is to make sure the money we raise is used to deliver real public value.”
Mamdani ended the segment by cracking a joke that quickly went viral. “Even though we disagree,” he said, “every time I get a death threat, I still listen to ‘Many Men.’”
The tension between the politician and the rap icon began after Mamdani’s interview on The Breakfast Club, in which he outlined his plan to raise corporate and high-income taxes. 50 Cent criticized the proposal online, but Mamdani’s lighthearted response suggests he’s taking the attention in stride and keeping “Many Men” on his playlist regardless.