Documentary Review: Mongolian Bling, the roots of mongolian hip-hop

Close your eyes for a moment and think of Mongolia. What does appear in your mind when you hear the name of this country? For me, it is the Gogi desert, nomads, steppes, BBC documentaries, something about an empire many centuries ago...but for some people it is hip-hop! After I watched Mongolian Bling, I realized that in this Asian country, there is a real hip-hop movement!

But...how did hip-hop arrive in Mongolia ? Could it be under the influence of globalization, Internet, tourism, the Western societies? The answer is no! In this country, hip-hop originated from Mongolian culture itself. “Mongolian Bling” show us the similarity between the Mongolian folk music and hip-hop.

"You can find so much rapping in Mongolian folk music” and how the Mongolian artists use this influence to claim for their own identity. "While many artists still aspire to the West, a handful are using hip-hop to try and salvage their country’s sense of identity and are bringing Mongolia’s unique musical heritage into their modern beats and rhymes”

In the documentary you travel through the experience and life of different Mongolian artist who show us this amazing movement and the roots of the Mongolian hip-hop, which for some people is the true hip-hop root.”It is obvious that hip-hop travelled to America from Mongolia" Say what ?! The roots of hip-hop lay in Mongolia?

If you are curious about the Mongolian hip-hop phenomenon have a look at their web site where you can find upcoming dates for the movie’s screenings.

In the mean time, enjoy this small appetizer