Zohran Mamdani still earns from rap career, but not much
What's the story
Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old New York City Mayor and a member of the Democratic Party, is still profiting from his brief stint as a multilingual rapper. Despite his rapid rise to fame as a celebrity politician, his earnings from music royalties have only seen a slight increase. Per tax filings, The Guardian reported, he earned $1,643 in 2025 from music royalties, an increase from $1,267 in 2024.
Earnings breakdown
'C-list rapper' inspired by indie-rap group Das Racist
Mamdani, who goes by the stage names Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom, started rapping in high school and released socially conscious songs in his 20s. He has called himself a "C-list rapper" inspired by indie-rap group Das Racist. The majority of his earnings in 2025 came from his salary as a state Assembly member, which was $1,31,296. His wife, Rama Duwaji, also contributed an additional $10,010 through graphic design work.
Upcoming salary
Salary set to increase significantly this year
As he steps into his role as the mayor of New York City, Mamdani's salary is set to increase significantly. This year, he will earn a salary of $2,58,750. Despite his political career taking off, Mamdani still encourages people to listen to his music on Spotify if they want to support him. He joked on Thursday, "A lot of people say they're listening," before adding, "They're not listening."
Historical context
Former mayor Michael Bloomberg also profited from entertainment appearances
Mamdani isn't the first mayor of New York City to earn entertainment royalties. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, per his redacted 2012 tax return, earned between $2,000 and $10,000 in residuals from his guest appearances on TV shows like Law + Order. He also appeared in the 2008 TV special A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa and the 2011 film The Adjustment Bureau starring Matt Damon.