Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman struggled to name her favorite Los Angeles rappers during a Tuesday appearance on the “Higher Learning” podcast, a moment of hesitation that drew laughter from the hosts and quick criticism from her opponents as the city heads toward a Nov. 3 runoff vote.
Asked to name her three favorite L.A. rappers, Raman first named the late Nipsey Hussle. Co-host Van Lathan responded with a tease: “Wow. Look at you, media trained.”
Raman said she still listened to “’90s rap” but paused while trying to continue her list as the hosts laughed. “And okay, as you search for the names, keep going,” Lathan said. Raman replied, “I’m just shy.”
She eventually named Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur. Lathan summarized her answer as “Nip, Pac, Snoop,” and Raman said the music was what she listened to alone in her car, calling it “the songs of my youth.”
Political reaction
Lisa Cusack, president of the Don’t L.A. My Burbank PAC, argued the moment contradicted Raman’s broader messaging about the city’s culture.
“Interesting that Raman called illegal street vendors an ‘indispensable part’ of L.A.’s culture, but can’t name some of the city’s most famous rappers. Feels like someone’s giving her a script, because she’s not from L.A. and doesn’t actually know what the city’s about,” Cusack said.
Raman was born in India, moved to the United States at age six, and later settled in Los Angeles, where she now lives in Silver Lake, according to The Los Angeles Times. She was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020 and represents the 4th district, which includes Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys.
Los Angeles County Republican Party Chairwoman Roxanne Hoge seized on the exchange to question Raman’s grasp of the city’s economy. “I’d rather Raman be able to name her top three thriving L.A. businesses,” Hoge said in a statement. “She can’t.”
A tightening race
The podcast moment comes as Raman faces incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 runoff. Raman advanced from the June primary, narrowly edging out Republican candidate and television personality Spencer Pratt during an extended vote count, after Pratt had led her on election night.
Raman has built her campaign around frustration with City Hall’s response to homelessness, basic city services and challenges facing the entertainment industry.
“I came into this race because I feel passionately about the future of Los Angeles and I feel frustration about the current state of the city. And I think that a third of voters is out there feeling those same things,” Raman said.
She was also recently questioned during a mayoral debate about her campaign’s hiring of a consulting firm that had previously worked with former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.
A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted Sept. 15-20 found Raman leading Bass 39% to 28% among likely Los Angeles voters, with 33% undecided. The online survey of 2,150 likely voters carried a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
Bass’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the podcast exchange.
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