The Breakfast Club: Interview with Mysonne on Zohran’s Transition Team, Justice Reform, and Hip-Hop & Politics

Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: December 19, 2025
Episode: INTERVIEW: Mysonne Details His Role On Zohran's Transition Team, Influencing Policy, Justice + More
Guests: Mysonne (Justice Advisor)

Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with activist and artist Mysonne, recently appointed to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral transition team as a Justice Advisor. The hosts—including Charlamagne Tha God and Lauren LaRosa—discuss Mysonne’s role bridging grassroots experience with governance, the backlash he has faced as a formerly incarcerated leader, the importance of advocacy inside and outside government, and what hip hop culture’s involvement means for real policy change.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

Mysonne’s Role on Zohran Mamdani’s Transition Team

• Policy Influence & Community Representation

  • Mysonne describes his duties as providing policy advice, particularly on criminal justice and public safety, suggesting staff appointments, and ensuring community voices shape the administration.
    • “We sit down and we talk about policy...all we can do is advise and give recommendations...he makes his own decisions.” — Mysonne (05:00)

• Community Engagement Initiatives

  • Intends to hold roundtables with formerly incarcerated people to ensure their perspectives inform policy.
    • "...doing roundtable meetings and convenings...to actually get a real understanding of what's happening inside the system." — Mysonne (06:07)

Backlash and Public Perception

• Media Stereotyping & Resilience

  • Discusses personal offense at being labeled a “crime boss” by the New York Post, and the ongoing struggles of escaping the stigma of past incarceration.
    • “You a forty-seven, forty-eight year old grown man now, you've done nothing since you came home but giving back to your community...and you still can't escape that.” — Charlamagne (07:15)
  • Mysonne reframes the criticism as affirmation of his work and resolves to set a positive example for the justice-impacted community.
    • "I'm not going to allow them to utilize that to discourage me from the work." — Mysonne (08:00)

• Blind Spots and Urgency

  • Media attacks reinforced an urgency for advocacy and visibility for formerly incarcerated leaders.
    • "It definitely was a level of urgency...a lot of people...don't believe that they can be successful." — Mysonne (09:30)

Why Lived Experience Matters

• Expertise from Experience, Not Optics

  • Argues that lived experience within the criminal justice system produces understanding academic training cannot.
    • "Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution...Sitting in the cell for seven years...seeing how the injustice system works." — Mysonne (11:11)

• Rehabilitation and Stigma

  • Stresses the need for genuine rehabilitation and the hypocrisy of denying opportunity to those who’ve served their time.
    • "If a person does his time and he comes out and he's productive, why do we act like he can't be productive?" — Mysonne (10:45)

Navigating Politics as an Activist

• Maintaining Integrity in Government Spaces

  • Mysonne assures the community he isn’t “getting a check”—he’s volunteering to maintain autonomy and credibility.
    • "This is a volunteer. I'm not getting no check for this...if they do something wrong I'm gonna be outside protesting." — Mysonne (13:38)

• Balancing Collaboration & Accountability

  • Describes activists’ ongoing responsibility to hold politicians accountable, even if it means protesting those in office they once supported.
    • "The minute he stops then we're going to be outside with the people." — Mysonne (15:20)
    • "I work for the people. I do not work for the government." — Mysonne (17:10)

Hip Hop, Culture, and Political Representation

• The System’s Debt to Hip Hop

  • Discusses the power—and limits—of hip hop culture’s involvement in politics and the risk of both politicians and the community turning their backs when controversy hits.
    • "What happens is when something goes wrong or...you standing up there, I've had this conversation with Papoose...these politicians left me out to dry." — Mysonne (18:17)
  • Emphasizes the need for community first, not blind party allegiance.
    • "I care about people and especially black people in our communities." — Mysonne (19:36)

• Non-Negotiables & Red Lines

  • Mysonne lists areas where he refuses to compromise, like support for violence interruption programs, proper resources in schools, and community protections.
    • “Once you start allowing the police to abuse our community...that's where I draw the line.” — Mysonne (21:40)

Judging Zohran Mamdani’s Authenticity

• Authenticity and Coalition Building
  • Mysonne describes how direct, candid listening sessions convinced him Mandani is serious about change—not just paying lip service.
    • "He sat there, he said we're going to get criticism and we not going to all agree...because I don't want everybody that agrees with me." — Mysonne (28:33)

Navigating Tribalism & Transactional Politics (Trump Meeting)

• On Meeting with Trump as Mayor

  • Supports Mandani’s pragmatic approach; he’d meet adversaries for the city’s good without sacrificing agenda, even if he personally would avoid such meetings.
    • “Now if he stops his agenda...then we got an issue with him.” — Mysonne (32:44)
  • Charlamagne critiques the confusing optics of activist language meeting political compromise.
    • “If you're going to use language like fascism it does look confusing...when you say you can work with a fascist.” — Charlamagne (33:15)

• Inside-Outside Game & Philosophy

  • Mysonne advocates for strategic engagement: combining protest with policy for real systemic change, citing civil rights figures as models.
    • “If you don't respect Dr. King's peace then you gonna get what we got over here—we the alternative.” — Mysonne (33:41)

Lessons for Young Organizers

• Protest Must Become Policy
  • Encourages young activists to be savvy, strategic, understanding both protest and policy, so they don’t just “fight for nothing.”
    • “If you just protest and you don't see things going anywhere...you're just fighting a fight for nothing.” — Mysonne (38:20)

Mysonne’s Final Reflections on Change

• Collective Power Over Individualism
  • Discusses the myth that disengagement leads to change and that individual success equates to collective progress.
    • “You don't have to do none of this...but I understand that if I don't do this and I don't utilize my voice...then generations of our people are going to be suffering.” — Mysonne (42:51)

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Lived Experience & Policy
  • “Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.” — Mysonne (11:11)
• On Politicians and Accountability
  • “The minute he stops then we're going to be outside with the people.” — Mysonne (15:40)
  • “I work for the people. I do not work for the government.” — Mysonne (17:10)
• On Inside/Outside Strategy
  • “If you don’t respect Dr. King’s peace then you gonna get what we got over here—we the alternative.” — Mysonne (33:41)
• On Strategy, Not Just Protest
  • “I'm tired of moral victories. When do we actually see some change for our people?...I'm tired of just dying—I really want us to win the war.” — Mysonne (39:05)
• On What Politics Owes Hip Hop
  • “If you ain't at the table then you on the menu.” — Mysonne (19:42)
• Charlamagne on Stigma
  • “You've done nothing since you came home but give back...and you still can't escape that.” — Charlamagne (07:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:00] — Mysonne defines his transition team role
• [06:07] — Importance of community input in policymaking
• [07:15] — Charlamagne on media’s negative framing
• [09:30] — Mysonne discusses urgency & visibility for the formerly incarcerated
• [11:11] — "Those closest to the problem..."
• [13:38] — On activist integrity & remaining uncompromised
• [17:10] — “I work for the people, not the government”
• [18:17] — Hip hop in politics: risks & responsibilities
• [21:40] — Non-negotiables in criminal justice reform
• [28:33] — Zoran Mandani’s authenticity and coalition
• [32:44] — On meeting Trump and sticking to agenda
• [33:41] — The necessity of both protest and policy (“inside-outside game”)
• [38:20] — Advice for young organizers: strategic engagement
• [42:51] — Collective action vs. individual advancement

Conclusion

This frank, incisive interview with Mysonne illustrates the complexity of bringing grassroots experience into policy spaces, the necessity for courageous, honest representation, and the continuing tension between activism and government. Mysonne issues a powerful call for the next generation to move beyond protest alone, embrace strategy, and insist on being at the table—or risk being on the menu.