Rapper 50 Cent has offered to pay $258,750 to get mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to leave the state.
Mamdani, who defeated former Democrat New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s upset Democratic mayoral election, revealed that he had dropped 50 cents on air during his June 11 appearance on “The Breakfast Club.” The rapper issued a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, suggesting that he is willing to pay a large sum of money to get Mamdani to leave.
“Where did he come from, is this a friend? I don’t feel this plan,” the rapper wrote.
“I’ll give him $258,750 and a first class one-way ticket away from New York. I’m telling Trump what he said too!
The 49-year-old artist revealed that he is not on Mamdani’s plan to tax the wealthiest people in the state.
During the interview in question, Mamdani tried to justify the tax system. He first addressed businesses, claiming to raise the corporate tax rate at New York’s top level to match its neighboring state of New Jersey. He said this applies to businesses operating in the state.
“We’re talking about companies that make millions of dollars for profit, not profit,” he said before turning his attention to high-income people.
NEW YORK, NY – June 24: New York mayoral candidate, state legislator Zoran Mamdani (D-NY) and mayoral candidate Brad Lander will speak with media members to greet voters on Broadway in New York City on June 24, 2025. Mamdani held several campaign events all day, including greeting voters with New York mayors Michael Blake and Lander, and voting for the mayoral Democratic candidate on behalf of Mayor Eric Adams. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“And the second is taxing the top 1% of New Yorkers. We’re talking about people who make more than $1 million a year, and we’re taxing just a flat 2% tax increase,” he said.
Mamdani called out the rapper during the interview. “And I know if 50 cents hears something that’s not happy about this. He tends to not like this tax policy, but I want to be very clear, which is about $20,000 a year,” Mamdani said. (Related: 50 Cent’s famous lawyer after being accused of assault)
“It’s a rounded error and putting all these things together makes the lives of all New Yorkers better, including those who are actually taxed,” he concluded.
East Rutherford, NJ – October 14: Rapper 50 Cent will be seen on the sidelines before the game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets on October 14, 2024 in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
Elsewhere in the interview, Mamdani conveyed his goal of raising funds for public transport improvements and small business services, vowing to make the city “no Trump.”
