Mayor Mamdani and Nas reflect on New York hip-hop roots

Hip-hop, as we know it, began in New York back in 1973. Its beginnings were humble, growing in local parties and especially within street culture.

Over time, the genre exploded into global mainstream music.

Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, who also previously rapped as Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom, opened up about hip-hop's roots in the city with one of the genre's all-time greatest artists, Nas.

"New York City can't be content with being the birthplace of hip-hop -- we want it to still be the home," the mayor said in a video his office released.

Nas, on the other hand, said, "Hip-hop unveils the truth. Hip-hop tells you exactly what your city looks like, sounds like and feels like."

"It was an outcry from people who demanded things to change and to tell the world what we were going through. And that came from a city that was going through a whole lot."

Mamdani also added that New Yorkers should not believe they need to leave their neighbourhoods to achieve their goals.

To this, Nas said, "There's more to life than just surviving. It's all about the youth and how we get them to avoid the mistakes that so many people made."

"I know so many people from this neighbourhood that had so much potential, but there was nothing showing them a different way," he added.