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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman hesitated while naming her favorite Los Angeles rappers during a Tuesday podcast interview, drawing laughter and teasing from the hosts weeks before voters decide whether she or incumbent Mayor Karen Bass will lead the nation’s second-largest city.
Appearing on the “Higher Learning” podcast, Raman was asked to list her three favorite L.A. rappers. She first named the late Nipsey Hussle and co-host Van Lathan immediately ribbed the city councilmember over her answer.
“Wow. Look at you, media trained,” Lathan said.
Raman, 45, then said she still listened to “‘90s rap,” but paused as she tried to continue her list. As the hosts laughed, Lathan told her, “And okay, as you search for the names, keep going.”
“I’m just shy,” Raman said.
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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman was teased on the “Higher Learning” podcast after hesitating while naming her favorite L.A. rappers. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Raman eventually added Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur. Lathan summed up her list as “Nip, Pac, Snoop,” while Raman explained that the music was what she listened to alone in her car and described it as “the songs of my youth.”
Lisa Cusack, President of the Don’t L.A. My Burbank PAC, told Fox News Digital she believed the exchange undercut Raman’s efforts to portray herself as closely connected to Los Angeles 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.
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Raman eventually named Nipsey Hussle, Snoop Dogg and Tupac after host Van Lathan joked that she sounded “media trained.” (HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Raman was born in India and came to the United States at age six. She later settled in Los Angeles and lives in Silver Lake, according to The Los Angeles Times. She was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020 and currently represents the city’s 4th district, including neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys.
Los Angeles County Republican Party Chairwoman Roxanne Hoge used the exchange to criticize Raman over the city’s business climate.
“I’d rather Raman be able to name her top three thriving L.A. businesses,” Hoge said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “She can’t.”
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Raman’s awkward exchange drew criticism from Lisa Cusack and LAGOP Chairwoman Roxanne Hoge as the mayoral race against Karen Bass continued. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The podcast appearance came as Raman and Bass compete in the Nov. 3 runoff after Raman advanced from the June primary. Raman narrowly secured the second runoff spot behind Bass after passing Republican candidate and TV personality Spencer Pratt during the extended vote count, after Pratt led Raman on election night.
Raman has increasingly centered her campaign on dissatisfaction with City Hall’s handling of homelessness, basic city services and 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.
Recently, Raman was pressed during a mayoral debate over her campaign’s decision to hire a consulting firm that previously worked with former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. A recent UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found Raman leading Bass 39% to 28% among likely Los Angeles voters, while 33% remained undecided. The online survey of 2,150 likely voters was conducted Sept. 15-20 and had a margin of error of approximately 3 percentage points.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Bass for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.