Diddy, Jay-Z and Nas endorse Ray McGuire for NYC mayor
Diddy, Jay-Z and Nas are endorsing Ray McGuire for New York City mayor, adding a major dose of star power to his campaign and giving the candidate credibility with fans of some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
“New York is in a state of emergency,” Diddy says in a video the McGuire campaign was set to release at midnight Wednesday. “New York could be the first city that really does something bold to take care of the people. That’s why I was excited about this conversation, just knowing Ray.”
McGuire interjects that he’s known Diddy and the other hip-hop moguls in the video for decades.
“Through those 30 years, no matter where we were at, Ray was always talking about the people,” Diddy says.
McGuire, who stepped down as vice chairman of banking giant Citigroup to run for mayor, has emphasized his hardscrabble upbringing by a single mom with two brothers and a dozen foster children in Dayton, Ohio. The new campaign video leaves unstated any similarities between McGuire’s self-described “streets-to-the-suites” story and the rise to mogul status of New Yorkers Diddy, Jay-Z and Nas.
“When I came into this business, there was only one other person who looked like me in the whole money game,” McGuire, who’s hoping to be the city’s second Black mayor, says in the video. “I’ve been blessed. Our kids shouldn’t have to get lucky.”
Jay-Z briefly quotes lyrics from one of his smash hits while voicing his enthusiasm for McGuire.
“I understand where he’s coming from,” the artist says. “It’s just about how many people can we reach, and what’s most urgent now.
“People come from all over the world, like I’ve got a chance … ‘If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere,’ and that’s what we’re trying to protect,” he adds, quoting the words from his collaboration with Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind.”
Nas provides a blunt endorsement: “Everything [McGuire] is saying is everything I want to hear.”
McGuire has been campaigning as one of the more moderate candidates in the packed field of contenders. He’s promised to partner with the private sector on job growth, advocates a gradual, revenue-neutral approach to property tax reform and has voiced skepticism of tax hikes. While shying away from activists’ cries to defund the NYPD, he’s promised to reform the police and gotten an endorsement from the late Eric Garner’s mother Gwen Carr.
“I cannot get here without you, Nas. Jay, I can’t get there without you. I can’t get there without Puff,” McGuire says.
Polls have placed McGuire, a first-time candidate for office, near the back of the pack. He’s banking on support from celebs like Spike Lee — and one of the biggest campaign war chests in the contest — to break through before the June 22 Democratic primary. Mayor de Blasio leaves office at the end of the year due to term limits.
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