Zohran Mamdani’s Clapback Toward 50 Cent is a Thing of Beauty

On Nov. 4, more than one million New York City residents cast their vote for Zohran Mamdani to become their next mayor. But while his victory sent a clear message that voters, including an overwhelming majority of those under age 45, are ready for the kind of change Mamdani campaigned on, one well-known New York City native is not so sure.

Rapper-entrepreneur and Queens native 50 Cent has been extremely outspoken on social media about his feelings on the Mamdani win, even offering the mayor-elect $258,750 and a first-class one-way ticket out of the city for good. The “In Da Club” rapper is less than optimistic about Mamdani’s promises to focus on affordable housing and fare-free city buses, dropping a Nov. 5 post on Instagram with an AI-generated tombstone that read “RIP NYC, Founded 1624, Died 2025.”

Fif says that while he thinks Mamdani has good intentions, he believes his economic policy of raising taxes on the wealthy will cause many of the businesses that call New York City home to leave in droves, even hinting that he has plans to take his business out of state.

“His Tax plan is gonna run the big money out of the city and if he defunds the police they are gonna purge,” he captioned a Nov. 4 Instagram post. “All Roads lead to SHREVEPORT !”

It probably also didn’t help that Mamdani dropped a little subtle shade when he chose 50’s hip-hop arch nemesis Ja Rule for his election night victory party theme music, walking out to Ja Rule’s “New York” to deliver his acceptance speech.

@arimelber

Zohran Mamdani walked out to Ja Rule’s “New York” after winning the New York City mayoral election. #zohranmamdani#50cent#jarule

♬ original sound – Ari Melber 📺 🎤

Mamdani added that while he and 50 don’t see eye to eye, he uses one of the rapper’s 2003 hits as his hype music when people come for him.

“Even though we have a disagreement on tax policy,” Mamdani told Melber. “Every time I get a death threat, I still listen to ‘Many Men.’ It’s true.”

While 50 thinks taxing the city’s wealthiest residents is a big mistake, Mamdani maintains that the additional revenue will benefit everyone.

“What I would say to you, 50, if you are indeed watching or anyone else who’s watching this show,” Mamdani told MSNBC host Ari Melber during an interview. “I continue to think that having the top 1 percent of New York City who are making more than a million dollars a year, having them pay 2 percent more for an economic agenda that would transform every New Yorker’s life, including their own, is something that is worthwhile.”