Zohran Mamdani Used to Rap — and His Catalog Has Been Surging in Streams
As the race heated up and Mamdani gained momentum, a surprising part of his past re-emerged online: his rap career.
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Before his political rise, the 33-year-old rapped under the names Young Cardamom and then Mr. Cardamom. As old videos circulated online in the lead-up to the primary, curious voters were quick to stream his music, resulting in notable gains.
In 2016, Mamdani released a six-track EP, Sidda Mukyaalo, alongside his close friend and collaborator Abdul Bar Hussein (who raps under the name HAB). On the EP, the pair raps in six different languages, while drawing from the members' shared Ugandan heritage — Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to New York City at age seven. In addition to the EP, the tandem released the song '#1 Spice' on the soundtrack to the Disney biographical drama Queen of Katwe.
Here's a recent week-by-week breakdown of on-demand official streams for Young Cardamom and HAB's catalog (which comprises seven songs), in the United States and globally, according to Luminate:
Combined U.S. Streams for Young Cardamom & HAB's Catalog
May 23-29: less than 1,000
May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 (up 10%)
June 6-12: 2,000 (up 473%)
June 13-19: 15,000 (up 582%)
Combined Global Streams for Young Cardamom & HAB's Catalog
May 23-29: less than 1,000
May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 (up 24%)
June 6-12: 3,000 (up 312%)
June 13-19: 20,000 (up 555%)
Compared to the two weeks before the news of Mamdani's rap background surfaced (May 23-June 5), the duo's catalog jumped 2,300% in the U.S. and 1,543% globally.
'#1 Spice' saw the most substantial gains in the act's catalog. Queen of Katwe stars Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo, and was directed by Mamdani's mother, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair. Nyong'o even appears in the song's music video, alongside Mamdani and HAB.
Here's a four-week breakdown of the song's streams in both the U.S. and globally:
U.S. Streams for '#1 Spice'
May 23-29: less than 1,000
May 30-June 5: less than 1,000
June 6-12: 2,000 (up 561%)
June 13-19: 14,000 (up 557%)
Global Streams for '#1 Spice'
May 23-29: less than 1,000
May 30-June 5: less than 1,000 (up 29%)
June 6-12: 3,000 (up 362%)
June 13-19: 19,000 (up 556%)
In just two weeks, '#1 Spice' surged by 2,600% in U.S. streams and 1,900% globally.
According to a 2019 New York Times story about actress Madhur Jaffrey, Mamdani made his rap debut in the late 2000s while running for student vice president at Bronx High School of Science. He rapped under a platform that promised freshly squeezed juices for all. He lost that election, but it paved the way for his future political aspirations.
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