New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is already at the center of a viral moment—one rooted not in politics, but in his past as an aspiring rapper.
On November 5, Passion of the Weiss founder Jeff Weiss posted a screenshot of a March 27, 2017, email Mamdani once sent to the outlet, revealing the future mayor reached out seven years ago, hoping for coverage of his song “Salaam.” The email follows Mamdani, who made headlines in hip hop for walking out to Ja Rule’s “New York” song after winning the election.
The message, written long before Mamdani entered government, shows him introducing himself with the simplicity of an unsigned artist seeking a break. “Hi Passion of the Weiss, I’m a rapper here in NYC and I’ve just released a new song titled Salaam,” he wrote.
He then described the track as a meditation on “what it means to be Muslim here in America today—the fear, and the roots of that fear.” Mamdani asked if the publication might consider writing about the record, adding, “It would be a dream if someone at Passion of the Weiss would write about this in any which way.”
He ended the email with a SoundCloud link and the sign-off: “Much love and looking forward to hearing from you, Zohran.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Former Soundcloud Rap Career Exposed
Weiss posted the resurfaced email with the caption, “Just digging through old emails on a regular Wednesday morning,” setting off a wave of reactions. Fans and journalists quickly shared the screenshot, stunned that the new mayor of New York once cold-emailed an influential hip-hop and culture site trying to get his music heard.
The song at the center of the moment, “Salaam,” arrived during a turbulent chapter for Muslim Americans marked by travel bans and rising hostility. In the email, Mamdani positioned the track not as a commercial push but as a personal reflection. The note revealed how deeply he engaged with identity, fear, and belonging long before stepping into public office.
For Passion of Weiss, the resurfaced email highlighted the publication’s long history of serving as a platform for emerging artists. For Weiss, it offered a rare full-circle moment: a blast from the past involving a figure now leading the country’s largest city.
And for Mamdani, the message marks an early snapshot of the creativity and conviction that now shape his public image. Before he was mayor, he was an artist searching for coverage—hoping someone would listen.
Zohran Mamdani takes office on January 1, 2026.
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