It’s a modest amount for Zo.
Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s previously paused rap career picked up traction during his 2025 mayoral campaign, as outlined in his tax documents. However, he didn’t completely step away from the music scene.
Under the name Mr. Cardamom, he raked in $2,700 in royalties that year, which, while not a huge sum, was still double what he made in 2024, according to his recently released tax return.
Mamdani received $1,643 in CREAM from fans in the U.S. who enjoyed his rap tracks, along with an extra $1,075 from global royalties.
Despite reporting a six-figure salary, this income wasn’t tied to his music.
Estimates indicate that around 550,000 people worldwide will listen to his music in 2025, a significant rise from 215,000 the previous year, based on Spotify’s payment data.
In 2024, his total royalties were $1,267, supplemented by his salary as a state legislator, which stands at $131,000 annually.
His income has surged since he made headlines for defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo and others in a Democratic primary last June.
Mamdani’s popularity continued to soar after winning the general election in November, making him one of the nation’s prominent political figures.
He transitioned from rap to political activism in 2019 when he successfully campaigned for a provincial seat. During his rapper days, he even featured in a music video for his song “Nani,” appearing shirtless except for an apron while on a halal cart.
“You know I’m always Spicy, but if a B-list rapper ran for office? I’m moving beyond Spice,” his alter ego Mr. Cardamone tweeted back in November 2019.
Interestingly, while fellow Democratic Socialists of America member Rama Duwaj also took home a six-figure income, his wife, Lama Duwaj, reported earnings of less than four figures from her artistic endeavors, as revealed in documents.
She claimed an income of $8,800 in 2025, according to a joint tax return.
“For a socialist couple in a rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria, $140,000 a year is plenty,” noted political consultant Ken Friedman, referencing the couple’s past residence in Queens.
“A mayor’s salary of $258,750 and a rent-free mansion? That seems excessive for a socialist couple in Manhattan,” he remarked humorously about Mamdani’s new financial situation.
The newlyweds also benefited from President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which raised their standard deduction from $29,000 to $31,500, resulting in a $1,300 refund.
