In his inauguration speech, Mayor Zohran Mamdani shouted out the Knicks, Jadakiss, and a favorite uptown pizza spot. He had both Mandy Patinkin and Babbulicious perform. It was an event packed with cultural references and insider nods to New Yorkers.

Mamdani loves to tout his cultural fluency, peppering his policy talk with popular references. Not so long ago, our young mayor himself was once a rapper known as Mr. Cardamom, and his wordsmithery has been a clear element of his quick rise.

As Mamdani governs, we’ll be tracking the references he makes in interviews, online, and in the streets. Catch him talking about Scorsese, Spiderman, or the Strokes? About the ’86 Mets or the blackout in ’03? About Spike Lee or Cardi B? Zabar’s or Supreme? Email us at [email protected]. We’ll be updating this post for the next four years. (Or eight, depending on how things go.)

The Jackson 5
Jan. 25, 2026

In an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, Mamdani was asked about the city's massive budget deficit. Mamdani answered with his typical pluck. “Frankly, in the words of the Jackson 5, ‘it’s as easy as ABC,’” he said. “This is an Adams Budget Crisis.” Mamdani, along with city comptroller Mark Levine, have laid blame on the city’s financial state on Adams’ improper spending, alongside former governor Andrew Cuomo’s “decade-long exploitation” of the city.

Setting aside the issue of the budget itself, why did he use “ABC” to brand the deficit? The song, a classic from 1970, should appeal to the Boomer set, a group less likely to be as enamored by his use of Jadakiss references. It makes him sound more like a lovable dad and less like a clued-in Zoomer. So has Mamdani suddenly turned into a dork? No, of course not. His use of “ABC” is tailored to the demographic most likely to care deeply about the details behind a major financial issue: older New Yorkers. He’s pleading his case in the language they love. The young people who have made up his base may be familiar with the song, but their association with Michael Jackson is almost certainly because of his alleged sexual abuse of children. Michael was only one fifth of the Jackson 5, but the group, and their music, live in his shadow. It’s not quite like quoting Bill Cosby, but it’s a risky move.

MC Shan
Jan. 17, 2026

Mayor Mamdani quoted Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of Central Park, in a speech announcing his new parks commissioner, which is more or less expected in a parks announcement. A less expected name drop was MC Shan, an iconic Queens rapper who established himself in the 80s. “As the great MC Shan once rhymed, Mamdani said, “‘Hip-hop was set out in the dark, they used to do it out in the park.’” Shan said this in his Marley Marl-produced single “The Bridge,” referencing the outdoor parties that were a part of the genre’s origin. “The Bridge,” shorthand for Queensbridge, was a hit single. Its legacy was secured, though, when it was sampled in an anti-Queens diss track by Boogie Down Productions, a group from the Bronx, the borough where hip-hop originated. When he gave the speech, Mamdani was in the neutral territory, Washington Heights, where a Cardi B reference may have been more appropriate.

Ms. Rachel
Jan. 9, 2026

Even if you don’t have a toddler, chances are you’re familiar with the children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel. She has a massive audience on YouTube, owing to her benevolent presence, easygoing approach to educating, and catchy tunes. She’s also been an outspoken advocate for the rights of children, particularly Palestinian children. Though the war in Gaza was not discussed when Ms. Rachel joined Mayor Mamdani at a Manhattan preschool to announce his plans for universal child care for children under 2, her presence echoed his support of Palestinians.

Lucy Dacus and Taylor Swift
Jan. 5 and 7, 2026

The indie musician Lucy Dacus performed the socialist anthem “Bread and Roses” at Mamdani’s inauguration. Mamdani gave her a subtle shoutout about a week later in his first press conference with digital creators, saying he’d go after so-called “junk fees” charged by ticketing agencies. “I’m talking about … the $30 that comes out of nowhere when it’s time to buy those Lucy Dacus tickets.” With tickets at or near $100 for her upcoming shows (before fees), the savings would be appreciated. Dacus, for what it’s worth, lives in Los Angeles. She has no current upcoming shows in New York.

In a previous address about junk fees, at a gym in Long Island City, Mamdani replaced Dacus with a more mainstream reference. “When you scrimp and save for a Taylor Swift concert that you have been looking forward to all year, only for a massive corporation to add hundreds of dollars at the final moment, that is disrespect.” Perhaps he didn’t think the gym rats were indie rock fans.

Robert Moses
January 3, 2026

During the Adams administration, backroom dealing scuttled plans to make Greenpoint’s McGuinness Boulevard a less dangerous thoroughfare. One of Mamdani’s first actions in office was to declare that he’ll back a redesign of the multilane road. While speaking to a crowd gathered at the site, he received a round of boos while quoting notorious NYC planner Robert Moses. Well, sort of. Moses was the one getting booed, as Mamdani quoted him to prove a point of how viciously he carved up the neighborhood.

“Robert Moses said,” Mamdani began to loud jeers as people seemingly believed he’d be citing Moses with reverence, “‘When you operate in an overbuilt metropolis, you have to hack your way with a meat axe.’ There are few places where that axe was sharper, or where that axe left such deep injury.” By then, the crowd had quieted down. Mamdani, who owns “The Power Broker,” has admitted he’s never read it.