Zohran Mamdani: Balancing Mayor Duties and Struggling with Rap Royalties in 2025
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Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected Mayor of New York City, has made headlines not only for his political career but also for the financial details recently disclosed about him and his wife, graphic designer Rama Duwaji. According to the New York Times, the couple revealed their joint tax return on April 16. At 34 years old, Mamdani has a commendable salary in the mid-$250K range, which is essential given that income from his previous rap career is insufficient to sustain their lifestyle.
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The couple reported a total income of $145,000 for 2025, with $131,296 coming from Mamdani’s salary as a state assemblyman. His earnings from his past career as a rapper, under the name Mr. Cardamom, amounted to $1,643, most of which originated from international royalties. The exact earnings from his hip-hop career in the previous year have not been disclosed.
Despite modest royalty earnings, Mamdani’s music saw significant growth in popularity. According to Luminate, six tracks from his 2016 EP, Sidda Mukyallo, garnered a remarkable 58,000 official on-demand streams in the U.S. during 2025. Notably, this marks a substantial portion of the EP’s total 79,000 streams, with 74% of its lifetime streams occurring last year.
Furthermore, his single “Nani,” released in 2019, achieved 219,000 U.S. official on-demand streams, representing the majority of its total 232,000 lifetime streams. Similarly, the 2016 track “#1 Spice” recorded 243,000 official on-demand U.S. streams in 2025, out of a total of 595,000 streams.
Before assuming the role of mayor, Mamdani was known as a rapper under the stage names Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom. His increasing profile during his campaign significantly boosted his streaming numbers.
In addition to the Sidda Mukyallo EP, which features raps in six languages reflecting his Ugandan heritage, Mamdani contributed to the soundtrack of the Disney biographical drama Queen of Katwe with the track “#1 Spice.”
Prior to the nomination, Young Cardamom and HAB’s catalog recordings saw a dramatic increase in streams, rising from fewer than 1,000 in late May 2025 to more than 15,000 from June 13-19, just before Mamdani became the presumptive Democratic candidate for mayor. This reflects a rise of 582% in streams during that pivotal period.
Mr. Cardamom’s single “Nani” is available for listeners to explore below.
