Zohran Mamdani and Chuwi Discuss Gentrification, Music, Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rican band Chuwi, made up of siblings Lorén, Willy, and Wester and their best friend Adrián, has spent the last couple years achieving international fame through a major collab with Bad Bunny, also ending up as his opening act on tour. But they’ve also used their platform to speak out about Puerto Rico — their debut album, Libertad, from last month, tackles government corruption, the economic and social effects of colonialist policies, and more — and on Friday, they joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani in San Juan for a conversation about issues central to the islands’ future. 

As part of a visit engaging local organizations and community leaders, Mamdani sat down with the musicians to hear more about their perspective. “I look forward to listening to Puerto Ricans to hear about what the struggles are that they’re facing and how New York City can be a partner in fighting for working people wherever they may call home,” the mayor told Rolling Stone.

The meeting was part of the annual Somos Conference, where New York State lawmakers meet with Latino advocates over four days in Puerto Rico. The conference’s goal is to create a space where attendees can speak directly with those in positions of power about what’s most important to their communities.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the event, and it is customary for the mayor of New York City to attend. Last year, Mamdani flew down just days after he was elected. This year, he returned, 10 months into his first term, and seemed clear-eyed about what he wanted to talk about during his 72 hours in town. His central focus is bridging the gap between the archipelago and the nearly 600,000 Puerto Ricans who call New York City home, with Mayor Mamdani targeting issues that matter to both. 

“What I’ve heard from Puerto Rican New Yorkers is a concern about displacement and gentrification, not only in the neighborhoods that they’ve helped to build in New York City, but also right here in Puerto Rico,” he says.

The mayor met with various coalitions and activist groups, such as Defend Cabo Rojo, FURIA, La Tejedora, and PR No Se Vende (“Puerto Rico Is Not for Sale”) that have dedicated themselves to combatting those challenges. But before those meetings, he scheduled an equally important sit-down with Chuwi, given their mission to spread the word about Puerto Rico’s struggles through their music.

Chuwi became a household name after they collaborated on the song “WELTiTA” off Bad Bunny’s Grammy-winning DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. They went on to be the opening act of his 59-date world tour. On Libertad, the band went back to their protest music roots and leaned more than ever into the politics. They’ve addressed some of these themes on the album since their earliest EPs, but never as directly as the LP.

Lorén initiated the conversation with Mamdani by describing how she was in New York City the week before the 2025 election. She told him she was impressed by the enthusiasm she saw for his campaign, saying that she found it very inspiring as a Puerto Rican. “What you guys are doing is inspiring,” Mamdani said, complimenting how they use their music to spread important messages without compromising the artistic side. 

“When you’re not at a desk, it’s easier to tell the truth,” he said. He noted that as artists, they have the unique privilege of being able to speak out and that their music is a connection to home for many fans. Indeed, even Bad Bunny himself said last year that listening to Chuwi during his time living in Los Angeles pre-DtMF made him homesick.

Willy took the opportunity to ask Mayor Mamdani about how he’s been able to achieve so much in his term so far: “Why is it you can do these policies that other mayors couldn’t?”

“When you get elected you get disconnected,” Mamdani said. He explained that leaders can become cut off from the people they serve, and that the environment can turn into tinted SUVs and private hotel rooms. He gave examples of things he does “intentionally” to stay connected, like biking around the city. “Institutions change slower than people,” and too much patience sometimes inadvertently leads to complacency. “The more you stay with the people the more you stay impatient. You have to keep [them] around you,” he says.

Chuwi pointed out how skeptical many citizens are about politicians, and how cynicism has become the prevalent feeling, especially in a Puerto Rico that has been suffering economically for almost two decades, even before Hurricane María dealt a blow to its infrastructure in 2017. 

Mamdani acknowledged that feeling, and said Puerto Ricans might be skeptical because “they know about history.” He said he’s aware of the gap between what politicians promise and what citizens actually expect them to deliver on. “How do you collapse that separation?” he said, sharing that he feels “inspiration” is a stronger force than “disillusionment” and that he tries to wake up every day “ready to fight” and to “use pressure in a productive way.”

Aware of how heated things can get in politics, and having been on the receiving end of a fair share of criticism, Willy asked how the mayor deals with mud-slinging and negative rhetoric in politics. Mamdani said that treating people who disagree with him harshly or with judgment leads to both sides feeling like there has to be a winner or loser in the debate. He stressed the importance of speaking to people who aren’t just “those who feel comfortable with you.”

Mamdani then pivoted to asking Chuwi about their future plans. The band said that they’ll be returning to cities they visited over the summer, hinting at a big tour of their own. Mamdani playfully reminded them he used to be an artist as well — as an indie rapper going by the alias Mr. Cardamom — and reminisced about how rough it was the first few years. “I was the opener to the opener to the opener,” he joked. “I once performed at 5 p.m. for a band that was playing at 9 p.m. I was singing to the seat savers.”

He said he was delighted by the possibility of Chuwi going to different countries with their music, because as he put it, “through that, others will hear and see their own struggles.”

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, and in fact got married in the city. Mamdani stressed the importance of Puerto Ricans in the history of New York, especially in organized labor movements. Lorén shared that her grandfather worked at a textile factory in the city. 

Willy capped off the meeting by thanking Mayor Mamdani for meeting with the organizations working on the ground in P.R. He stressed how important their goals were when it came to pushing for the abolition of Puerto Rico’s tax haven status, protecting the coastal maritime-terrestrial zone, and trying to stop large developments that threaten Puerto Rico’s habitats like Esencia in Cabo Rojo and Moncayo in Fajardo, among other causes. “Politicians [in Puerto Rico] won’t meet with them unless it’s in a court room or public hearings,” he said.

Afterwards, Chuwi told Rolling Stone they felt inspired by the mayor’s words. “Being that he’s the mayor of New York, and New York has significant importance in Puerto Rico, it was super important to be able to discuss these matters with him,” says Wester.

They also pushed back on critics who might accuse Mayor Mamdani of wading into issues outside his jurisdiction. “My counterargument is that we’re a colony of the United States, and New York is — and has always been — extremely important in Puerto Rico. We’re linked,” says Wester. “The rest of the world is watching what’s happening here on the island, yet our own politicians aren’t addressing it. I think it’s fair game.”

“It’s important to understand that this isn’t like the Financial Oversight Board. Just because people from outside — rather than locals — are addressing these issues, it doesn’t mean they’re coming here to exert control or anything like that,” Adrián says. “People hear ‘the United States is coming here to do things in Puerto Rico’ and immediately think, ‘Oh, Junta de Control Fiscal.’ No, it’s not [necessarily] that. It’s about creating a dialogue between the two sides.”

As the meeting wrapped up and Chuwi said their goodbyes, the mayor snuck in one last question: are they doing a show in New York in the near future? Chuwi let Mayor Mamdani know they’ll be seeing each other again soon.