Any honest JAY-Z could easily tell you a favorite song or three from the soon to be Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member. Former presidential and now NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang got put on the spot by Ziwe Fumudoh for an upcoming episode of Ziwe and Yang kept it as political as possible.
“I listened to a lot of hip-hop during like the 90s and 2000s,” Yang said when asked about listening to rap music. After Ziwe presses him on giving a specific name, he centers on two of New York’s greats, Nas and JAY-Z.
“What’s your favorite Jay-Z song?” Ziwe asks Yang. “I mean, he’s a New Yorker.”
Yang pauses for a moment and looks around, unable to determine an answer for himself. He audibly asks, “What is my favorite JAY-Z song?” before the clip abruptly cuts.
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The awkward moment is the latest for Yang, who continues to make his case to be the next mayor for New York. Yang’s agreement to join Ziwe on the show comes only days after she pitched the idea to him on Twitter. In a leaked clip ahead of the interview airing on Sunday (May 23), Yang ultimately revealed his choice, going with “Numb/Encore” from Hov’s collaboration effort with Linkin Park. His backup choice? “Niggas In Paris” from Watch The Throne although Yang swiftly referred to the song as “Ninjas In Paris” as to not offend anyone.
Even with Yang’s answer to his favorite Hov song, he doesn’t exactly have the mogul’s early endorsement. In April, Hov threw his backing behind former CitiGroup CEO Ray McGuire to replace current New York mayor Bill da Blasio. He wasn’t alone. Nas, Diddy and Steve Stoute joined Hov in endorsing McGuire with Puff boldly proclaiming the city was in dire straits.
“New York is in a state of emergency. This is my endorsement for Ray,” Diddy said. “Through those 30 years, wherever we were at, Ray was always talking about the people. We have the power to light this up.”