NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Names Jay-Z and a Few Surprises in His Top 5 Rappers
Whenever you get into a debate about the greatest of all time in any category, discussions can get rather contentious, and rap music is no different. Music fans have been debating for years the greatest rappers of all time, and recently installed mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, just announced his top five. While the leader of the Big Apple had usual suspects like Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls, you may be shocked to learn that his list is not all New York rappers, and he left off big names from the list. Will his top five list land him in trouble with hip hop aficionados?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Top 5 Rappers Doesn’t Include 2Pac, Drake, or Eminem
During a recent interview, Mamdani was asked point-blank, “Top five rappers? And go.” With a smile on his face, he takes a minute to digest the question and replies:
“Well, I got to say, in no particular order, I got to put in Nas. As someone who used to represent Queenbridge Houses, largest public housing development in North America. I also have to say, when I was growing up for me, Lupe Fiasco. He’s one of my top rappers. I also have a real soft spot for Common. I also have to put in Jay-Z. And I think, as New York City, we have to put in Biggie.”
So, in a shocker, although Mamdani did name rappers Jay-Z, Nas, and Biggie to his top 5 rappers of all time, he didn’t make his list exclusively of New Yorkers. Both Common and Lupe Fiasco are proud representatives of Chicago, Illinois.
What’s also a bit surprising is that Mamdani doesn’t include 2Pac or Eminem, who are both widely regarded as legendary hip hop artists. Along those lines, Mamdani also omitted heavy hitters like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. All six of these rappers appear in some form or fashion on many music lovers' lists of top rappers. Check out Mamdani's full answer in the video below:
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared his top 5 favorite rappers of all time.
— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) March 17, 2026
"I gotta put in Nas, as someone who used to represent Queensbridge Houses, largest public housing development in North America. I also have to say, when I was growing up, for me, Lupe Fiasco—he was one… pic.twitter.com/zeE7bLOEul
Social Media Reacts to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Top 5 Rappers List
Given that these types of conversations tend to be contentious, it’s not hard to believe people on social media had plenty to say about Mamdani’s list. Check out a few of the comments found on X (formerly Twitter).
can't argue against anyones top 5 but he went 3 new yorkers and 2 chicago.
— braniac dumb-dumb (@troyd_hill) March 17, 2026
as Mayor of NYC , he has to go Top 5 - 1 per borough
Harlem/Manhattan - Big L
Brooklyn - JayZ
Queens - Nas
Staten Island - all Wu
Bronx - KrsOne
Put in Kendrick in there and he matches my top 5 completely. Lupe and Common choices are absolutely goated
— Hattori Hanzō 功夫肯尼 (@hattori9000) March 17, 2026
What does he mean he listened to Lupe growing up? He was like 16 when Food and Liquor dropped
— Andy Genova (@Andy_K_Genova) March 17, 2026
Can’t disagree with those choices
— David Evans (@DavidEvans9) March 17, 2026