Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined Cardi B backstage throughout a current tour cease to ask the Bronx-born rapper to assist decide town’s 2-Okay jingle competitors.
Photograph by NYCMayor/X
New York Metropolis’s push to launch free youngster take care of two-year-olds is getting a star increase from Cardi B — and a really 2026 caveat from Metropolis Corridor.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Bronx-born rapper introduced on Friday that functions for town’s new 2-Okay program will open June 2 and run by June 26. However earlier than that occurs, the administration needs New Yorkers to assist get the phrase out with an official jingle.
Town’s new contest invitations residents to submit unique 15- or 30-second songs encouraging households to use for 2-Okay. The successful entry will turn out to be this system’s official theme and air on the radio.
Then comes the fantastic print: no AI.
Entrants have to be not less than 18 years previous and dwell in NYC. Each jingle should embrace the 2-Okay registration web site (myschools.nyc) and be family-friendly. Bilingual entries — particularly in Spanish — are additionally being inspired.
Judging will occur in three phases. First, the mayor’s workplace workers will display entries for rule compliance. Then Cardi B, together with what town describes as “a panel of special guest judges, including some familiar voices from top hits on the radio,” will choose 5 finalists earlier than New Yorkers vote for the winner.
The principles say a winner shall be chosen by Could 18, and the potential winner shall be contacted on or about June 1.
There’s no money prize connected, simply clout. Beneath the phrases of the competition, contestants would nonetheless personal their work, however by coming into, they grant town everlasting rights to make use of, edit, and distribute their jingle in any medium, whether or not or not it wins. Entrants additionally agree that town can use their title, likeness, and picture in reference to the competition and associated promotion.
‘I can get ’em each. I don’t wanna select’
The competition itself is a part of a broader promotional effort round 2-Okay, which the administration has framed as a step towards common, free youngster take care of two-year-olds. Households will be capable of apply for seats in class districts 6, 10, 18, 23, and 27, with provides anticipated in August, however Staten Island is just not included.
This system is ready to launch this fall with 2,000 free seats and develop to common entry inside 4 years. Officers say will probably be open to households no matter ZIP code, earnings, or immigration standing, although the preliminary rollout is restricted to 5 districts.
Mamdani beforehand defended Staten Island’s exclusion, saying town focused districts with each excessive want and the capability to scale rapidly. Metropolis officers mentioned this system is anticipated to develop to 12,000 seats subsequent 12 months, with common entry by the tip of Mamdani’s first time period.
“As Cardi B says: ‘I can get ’em both. I don’t wanna choose.’ With universal child care, New Yorkers won’t have to,” Mayor Mamdani mentioned in a press release. “For too long, families have been forced to choose between affordable care and staying in the city they love. Now, they can have both—free care in the greatest city in the world.”
In Friday’s video announcement, Cardi B known as youngster care important for girls and households making an attempt to maneuver ahead.
“Child care is very important. Sometimes us women can’t really go forward because we don’t have nobody to help us take care of our kids,” The Grammy-winning rapper mentioned.
Submissions for the jingle contest at the moment are open and due by April 17. So, if New Yorkers need to assist soundtrack town’s newest youngster care push, they’ll. They only have to write down the track themselves.
