# Zohran Mamdani and Chuwi Discuss Gentrification > Mayor Zohran Mamdani meets Puerto Rican band Chuwi to address gentrification and community issues. - Title: Zohran Mamdani and Chuwi Discuss Gentrification | Shortify - Summary: Mayor Zohran Mamdani meets Puerto Rican band Chuwi to address gentrification and community issues. - Keywords: zohran mamdani, chuwi, puerto rico, gentrification, san juan, mayor, libertad album, defend cabo rojo, furia, la tejedora, pr no se vende, bad bunny - Source: Rolling Stone — https://rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/zohran-mamdani-chuwi-puerto-rico-gentrification-1235654388 - Author: Juan J. Arroyo - Published: 2026-11-07T21:16:07+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: zohran mamdani, chuwi, puerto rico, gentrification, san juan, mayor, libertad album, defend cabo rojo, furia, la tejedora, pr no se vende, bad bunny ## Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chuwi Meet Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with Puerto Rican band Chuwi in San Juan to discuss gentrification and community issues. > I look forward to listening to Puerto Ricans to hear about what the struggles are they’re facing and how New York City can be a partner in fighting for working people wherever they may call home ## Annual Somos Conference The annual Somos Conference brings New York State lawmakers and Latino advocates together in Puerto Rico for four days. > This year marks the 40th anniversary of the event ## Mayor's Focus on Puerto Ricans Mayor Mamdani targets issues affecting Puerto Ricans in New York City and Puerto Rico, including displacement and gentrification. > What I’ve heard from Puerto Rican New Yorkers is a concern about displacement and gentrification ## Chuwi's Music and Message Chuwi, a band with siblings Lorén, Willy, and Wester and friend Adrián, uses music to address Puerto Rico’s struggles through their album Libertad. > They’ve addressed some of these themes on the album since their earliest EPs ## Mayor's Campaign Connection Chuwi praised Mayor Mamdani’s campaign enthusiasm, noting his inspiring approach to connecting with Puerto Ricans. > What you guys are doing is inspiring ## Mayor's Leadership Challenges Mayor Mamdani explained that leaders get disconnected after elections and must stay connected through actions like biking around the city. > When you get elected you get disconnected ## Cynicism in Puerto Rico Chuwi highlighted economic skepticism among Puerto Ricans, especially after two decades of economic struggles and Hurricane María. > Chuwi pointed out how skeptical many citizens are about politicians ## Mayor's Response to Cynicism Mayor Mamdani acknowledged Puerto Ricans’ historical awareness and emphasized inspiration over disillusionment in politics. > How do you collapse that separation? I feel inspiration is a stronger force than disillusionment ## Handling Political Criticism Mayor Mamdani stressed the importance of speaking to people who aren’t comfortable with him to avoid political winners and losers. > Treating people who disagree with him harshly leads to both sides feeling like there has to be a winner or loser ## Chuwi's Future Plans Chuwi plans to return to cities they visited over the summer and potentially tour internationally. > They’ll be returning to cities they visited over the summer ## Mayor's Past as Artist Mayor Mamdani recalled his past as an indie rapper under the alias Mr. Cardamom, performing as an opener. > I was the opener to the opener to the opener ## Chuwi's Grandparents in NYC Chuwi’s Lorén shared that her grandparents moved to New York City during post-WWII migration and married there. > Lorén thanked the mayor for meeting with them, sharing that their grandparents were one of the families that moved to New York City during the post-WWII migration wave ## Key takeaway Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Puerto Rican band Chuwi discuss gentrification, displacement, and political collaboration in San Juan.