Mayor of New York City (NYC) Zohran Mamdani has named Pakistani rapper Shamoon Ismail as one of the artists on his current playlist.
Speaking to a foreign publication about what he’s been listening to lately, Mamdani said: “Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Radio & Weasel, who are a duo from Uganda who were running the charts for a long, long time. I’ve also been listening to a Pakistani rapper named Shamoon Ismail, who I’ve listened to for a few years. If I’m feeling reflective, I throw on some Kacey Musgraves.”
Mamdani did not name specific tracks from Ismail’s catalogue that he’s currently playing.
His musical picks line up with his background. He was born to a Ugandan father and an Indian mother and grew up in New York, and his taste stretches across the artists tied to that upbringing.
Ismail isn’t the mayor’s only connection to South Asian music. After his victory speech, Mamdani walked off stage to Bollywood smash “Dhoom Machale” playing in the background.
Mamdani has previously spoken about liking Taylor Swift, Jay Z and Kim Petras. He has also credited Indian-American rapper Himanshu Suri, who performs as Heems, with drawing him into politics in the first place.
Ismail, for his part, has kept releasing music that continues to pull in listeners, with tracks like “Used to it,” “Rung” and “On & On” racking up thousands of streams.
He stepped back from the spotlight for a longish stretch recently, a period that reportedly coincided with either his engagement or marriage. He broke his silence on New Year’s Eve with a handwritten letter to fans, describing the period as a “transition.”
