Jay-Z, Diddy and Nas are only a few members of New York’s hip-hop elite who have come together to endorse longtime Wall Street executive Ray McGuire‘s campaign to be the city’s next mayor. The hip-hop moguls recorded a conference call with them and McGuire as he campaigns for the city’s highest office.
McGuire, a former Citigroup executive, will face off against former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and former MSNBC legal analyst Maya Wiley in the mayor’s race. The Democratic primary will be held June 22, 2021.
“New Yorkers have to realize that New York is in a state of emergency. New York could be the first city that really does something bold to take care of the people,” Diddy, who has known McGuire for some three decades, said in the clip. “Through those 30 years, no matter where we were at, outside [or] wherever we were at, Ray was always talking about the people.”
Hov said he first reached out to McGuire when he wanted to start a fund for Black and Brown people and wanted the businessman to run the company when he was informed that McGuire had bigger plans.
“People come from all over the world like, ‘I got a chance. I got a chance to make it here. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.’ And that’s what we’re trying to protect. It’s the idea of New York and New York being what hope is,” Jay-Z said.
Nas also pointed out that the city needed someone to bring its residents closer together after the country’s racial divide intensified.
“Somewhere along the line, the ball got dropped. It’s all about a racial divide, when we’re the most diverse city in the world. The city is broken, and I haven’t heard anyone say anything about it. Everything Ray’s saying is everything I want to hear,” added the Grammy-winning King’s Disease rapper.
Steve Stoute and Angie Martinez weighed in with their support as well. Check out the conversation with Diddy, Jay-Z, Nas and Ray McGuire on the next page.
