Politics & Government

Albanian Rap-sody: NYC Mayor's Son Appears In Balkan TV Talent Show

The mayor's son Jordan Coleman sang "Itsy Bitsy" on an Albanian talent show called "Kënga Magjike" or "The Magic Song."

Jordan Coleman, at left, Forest Whitaker, and Eric Adams attend the Mayor Elect Eric Adams Celebration Party at Zero Bond on Nov. 2, 2021 in New York City.
Jordan Coleman, at left, Forest Whitaker, and Eric Adams attend the Mayor Elect Eric Adams Celebration Party at Zero Bond on Nov. 2, 2021 in New York City. (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Haute Living)

NEW YORK CITY — New York City may be the birthplace of hip hop, but Mayor Eric Adams’ son’s rap dreams could come true in another place: Albania.

Jordan Coleman, who performs as “Jayoo,” performed on the Albanian version of “American Idol,” a show called "Kënga Magjike" or "The Magic Song" Wednesday.

“I’m Looking To Be An International Rap Artist," Coleman posted on Instagram, tagging Tirana, Albania, in September. "This Was A Major Step In That Direction.”

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Coleman's magic song was “Itsy Bitsy,” a track chockablock with lyrics that a family publication such as Patch can’t fully reprint.

“The Itsy Bitsy, wanna twerk that a**, and shake them t------,” the song begins. Hear how it (in a televised version of his September performance) ends here.

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Adams has often proudly touted New York City’s place in the hip hop universe.

He did so at a Nov. 14 event highlighting the city’s partnership with the Universal Hip Hop Museum commemorating the genre’s 50th anniversary.

Many prominent politicians from the city, such as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, state Attorney General Letitia James and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, can all be called a “hip hop child,” he said, before recalled how the music touched him as he worked his way up through the NYPD.

“I could just think of all those tunes that while I was studying my exams, before I studied my exam for sergeant, lieutenant, or captain, I would listen to the hip hop sounds and that gave me the energy that I have,” he said.

“Let's be clear, my story is your story."

But Adams has also been a prominent critic of rap’s “drill” scene, which he has linked to violence across the city. He called for social media companies to ban drill videos.

Coleman, who is the mayor’s first son, doesn’t see eye-to-eye with his father.

“You cannot ban a genre,” he told Complex that he texted his dad.

Coleman’s international performance was first reported by the New York Post.


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