New York’s mayor knows how a rap battle with A$AP Rocky would end, and he’s said so twice now. In Complex’s new 360 interview, out Wednesday (July 1), Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his earlier concession that Rocky has the edge.
He would wash me. You have to know your limits.
Zohran Mamdani, Complex
The exchange started when Rocky was asked in a recent Vibe interview about battling the mayor, who has a well-documented rap background of his own. Rocky said Mamdani wasn’t on his level and joked that he was “coming for his spot” as mayor someday, according to Complex. The mayor’s office had already said Mamdani was “well aware” he would lose.
In the 360 sit-down, Mamdani kept it friendly. “Pretty Boy Flacko, me—there’s not a competition there,” he said, and added that if Rocky wants to work together to make sure every New Yorker can prosper, “I’m here.” Asked whether Rocky could win an actual campaign, he said, “I think he would have the best jingle of any campaign.”
The 50 Cent thread
The same interview revisited Mamdani’s “one-sided beef” with 50 Cent over tax policy. He called 50’s “Many Men” a song he’ll keep appreciating despite their disagreement. 50 answered on Instagram on Thursday (July 2), writing that “we don’t have beef, I just think some of these ideas are radical,” and telling the mayor to “stay away from the taxes,” per Complex. He also nudged Mamdani to focus on the “wedding of [the] century,” Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s at the Garden.
Why it matters
This is New York politics as the internet likes it: a mayor with real hip-hop fluency who is comfortable losing a joke battle on camera. It lands in a summer when the city was celebrating the Knicks’ first title in 53 years, a run that included Cardi B’s halftime set at the Garden in the Finals. Complex’s parade coverage noted that Mamdani joined in the dancing.
The relationship between City Hall and rap kept going. In September, Mamdani sat down with Nas in Queensbridge to talk about why New York should stay hip-hop’s home.
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
