A$AP Rocky is confident in his ability to win, whether it’s a rap battle or an election, even if his opponent is Zoran Mamdani.
In a clip of his Vibe cover story interview shared on Tuesday (June 2), the rapper (real name Rakim Mayers) displayed characteristic confidence when asked about the possibility of bar-hopping with the New York mayor. “Does Mamdani want to have a rap battle with me?” Rocky said incredulously. “I can’t believe he called me.”
“Mandani’s not making fun of me,” the hip-hop star continued, after the interviewer reminded him that someone apparently asked him about his fight with the mayor at the 2026 Met Gala. “Listen, I’m already running for his seat, because I’m going to be Mayor Meyers in about four years.”
“If he wants to fight, we can do that, and if he wants to argue a little bit, we can do that,” Rocky added. “I came here to do something. Humanitarian work for my home city. All bullshit aside, I’m really going to run for mayor. Look at this.”
When asked for comment, Mayor Mamdani’s deputy press secretary, Jeremy Edwards, told Billboard in a statement: “Mayor Mamdani is well aware that he will lose this rap battle with Lord Flacco. That said, he welcomes every opportunity to work with fellow Knicks fans to make New York City more affordable so that all New Yorkers can strive and thrive, all the time.”
Mamdani has been the mayor of New York since winning the election in November. He goes down in history as the city’s most progressive mayor ever, but he is also (arguably) the first person to run for mayor having previously recorded his own rap music. During last year’s election campaign, supporters dug through his old rap catalog and discovered that he released an EP titled Sidda Mukyalo in 2016 with collaborator Hub under the name Young Cardamom.
Rocky, who was born and raised in Harlem, has been open about his political ambitions in the past. “There are a lot of political issues that need to be addressed and changes that need to be made,” he told Esquire in January. “I’m a man who serves the people, so I’m sure things will turn out well…” [in] In 2029, vote for Mayor Meyers. Please vote for Rocky. ”
Rocky released his latest album “Don’t Be Damn” in January, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Watch Rocky discuss facing Mamdani in the Vibe chat below.
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