50 Cent is making his political stance loud and clear and New York City’s newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani isn’t exactly on his list of favorites. Following Mamdani’s surprise victory, the Queens-born rap mogul took to Instagram to voice his disapproval, warning that the incoming mayor’s tax plan could drive “big money” out of the city. “New York is over pack it up, let’s go!” 50 wrote in the caption of an AI-generated tombstone reading, “THE MAN’S First job is Mayor MAMDANI run New York.”
The post came shortly after Mamdani appeared on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, where he addressed 50’s earlier criticism and even admitted he still listens to the rapper’s classic “Many Men” from time to time. “He’s a critic! I didn’t even know what my salary would be until I opened up Instagram and saw this thing that was like, ‘50 Cent offers Mamdani x-amount of money,’” Mamdani said, laughing. But he stood firm on his platform, defending his proposal for the city’s wealthiest residents to pay slightly higher taxes. “Having the top one percent in New York City who are making more than one million dollars a year pay two percent more for an economic agenda that would transform every New Yorker’s life, including their own, is something that is worthwhile,” he said. “When you see a city like ours underfunding its agencies and pulling back on the most basic things like library services and trash cans, everybody feels the effects of that.”
50 Cent responded with a follow-up post that mixed sarcasm with a dose of skepticism. “I think his intentions are good,” he wrote. “But his tax plan is gonna run the big money out of the city and if he defunds the police they are gonna purge. @50centaction All roads lead to Shreveport!”
And in a move that showed he’s not afraid to poke fun at the hip-hop heavyweight, Mamdani seemingly clapped back with some musical trolling of his own. After his win, he walked out to Ja Rule’s “New York”, a subtle jab at 50’s longtime rival and a reminder that even politics in the Big Apple comes with a beat.
The clash between the rap icon and the progressive mayor underscores the growing divide over New York’s economic future between those who fear overtaxing success and those who believe in redistributing resources to rebuild a city that works for everyone.