Mayor Mamdani and Nas Discuss NYC's Future as Hip-Hop's Home

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Mayor Mamdani and Nas Have a Heart to Heart About Keeping NYC the Home of Hip Hop

“We can’t be content with New York City simply being the birthplace of hip hop," Mamdani said

By Charisma Madarang

Charisma Madarang

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September 30, 2026

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Over 50 years ago, hip hop was born in the Bronx during the summer of 1973. Throughout the decades, hip hop continues to evolve as a global cultural movement that inspires artists and fans alike.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani , a self-professed fan of hip hop who used to rap under the moniker “Young Cardamom,” recently sat with rap icon Nas at Queensbridge Park, outside of Nas’s childhood home at the Queensbridge Projects.

In a new video from the Mayor’s Office, Mamdani and Nas discuss the roots of hip hop and what it means to New York City’s past and future. “We can’t be content with New York City simply being the birthplace of hip hop. We want it to still be its home, and that means ensuring that the artists who create here are actually able to live here,” said Mamdani.

The mayor pointed to the city’s rising cost of living and how communities who created New York City’s thriving culture are now being pushed out. “If we allow New York to become such an expensive city that art becomes a luxury good, then we are depriving future generations from the magic of art,” he said. “New Yorkers deserve a city that is a living, breathing testament to what it looks like when we create the conditions to help this art form flourish.”

Nas delved into the art form’s impact and origins. “Hip-hop unveils the truth. Hip-hop tells you exactly what your city looks like, sounds like, feels like. It was an outcry from people who demanded things to change and to tell the world what we were going through,” said Nas. “And that came from a city that was going through a whole lot.”

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_Originally reported by [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mayor-mamdani-nas-discuss-new-york-home-of-hip-hop-1235635114/)._