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Mayoral Candidate's Rap Past Resurfaces in Mysterious Music Release
7 Oct
Summary
- Zohran Mamdani, New York mayoral candidate, was once a rapper known as Mr. Cardamom
- A song featuring "Mr. Cardamom" was recently released, but Mamdani denies involvement
- The song was likely a prank by an unknown artist exploiting a music platform loophole
In a surprising turn of events, New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's rap past has resurfaced. On October 4th, 2025, attorney Jim Walden made a post on X featuring a screenshot of a song called "BENTON BUILD" credited to a rapper named qrinceton, with a feature from Mr. Cardamom - Mamdani's former stage name.
However, a representative for Mamdani has confirmed that the voice on the song is not the mayoral candidate's. It appears that qrinceton, an obscure artist with only 313 monthly Spotify listeners, has likely exploited a loophole in digital music platforms to add Mamdani's name to the track without his knowledge or consent.
This type of fraudulent activity has become an increasing issue in the music industry, with AI-generated fake music and illegitimate versions of classic mixtapes appearing on streaming services. In this case, the song's bizarre lyrics and qrinceton's minimal online presence suggest the "BENTON BUILD" release was a prank intended to generate attention.
As Mamdani prepares for the final stretch of his mayoral campaign, he must now address this unexpected resurfacing of his rap past. The candidate, who was once known as Mr. Cardamom, has distanced himself from the music industry in recent years to focus on his political aspirations. This latest incident serves as a reminder that even a candidate's forgotten past can unexpectedly reemerge in the digital age.
