Nas and Mayor Zohran Mamdani Celebrate Bronx School of Hip-Hop in New Video: Watch

Who would’ve thought hip-hop would take it this far? Earlier this month, New York City launched the Bronx School of Hip-Hop with an inaugural freshman class of about 100 students. Now, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office has released a video documenting the high school’s opening, featuring founding principal Jason Reyes and rappers including Nas, Melle Mel, and Fat Joe. Watch it below. Nas was not at the school on its first day, but he spoke about the significance of hip-hop’s birth 53 years ago during a sitdown with the rapper-turned-NYC mayor. “Hip-hop unveils the truth. Hip-hop tells you exactly what your city looks like, sounds like, feels like,” the Queens native explained. “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.” Providing insight into how the school can improve the city, one of Mamdani’s Top 5 favorite rappers continued, “I know so many people from [my] neighborhood that has so much potential, but there was nothing showing them a different way.” Marking the first of its kind in New York City, the school will likely produce more than its fair share of ...