Preface: I've spent 2 days trying to get the videos from the hip hop show to load. I have finally conceded. Mongolian Internet: 1/Annie: 0
The exportation of culture or pieces of culture is something that is particularly fascinating to me. I think that one of the most interesting recent exports of western culture is Hip Hop. It’s all over the TV here in Mongolia, and it seems to be a big part of youth culture. When it comes style, Mongolian teens seem to like the same things American teens like: flashy cars, cool clothes, and bling. Even more fascinating is the way these things get adopted or adapted (As Gita Steiner-Khamsi puts it “Mongolized”) and then they become a part of Mongolian culture. Sometimes signs, emblems, or words lose there original meaning and become something completely different.
Last night I went to a Hip Hop concert with some friends. This concert was in honor of the 2 year anniversary of the Mongolian Hip Hop label, 2016 Studio. We got to see a bunch of different acts that are on this label. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the groups were really good. One thing that was funny for me was the constant use of words like: “Yo!” and expletives, such as “Motherf&#$%#!” or just plain old “F&%#”. The funniest thing about hearing these words was not that they were out of place with the music, it was just that they seemed to be haphazardly thrown in. Perhaps the goal was to add street creed to the performers. It was obvious that Puff Daddy (aka P. Diddy, Sean “Puffy” Combs) is having his dream of a global empire come true right here in Mongolia. All the performers were wearing Sean Jean, Phat Farm, and Starter Jackets…Whether or not these were legit or Chinese rip-offs is another question.
The performers all were lip syncing, except for the beat-boxers! They were my favorite, because they just got up on stage and did there thing, impromptu. There was also a young boy and girl who rapped together. They were about 10 years old I would say. The little boy had the best stage presence of any of the performers last night. You could tell that he has been watching Jay-Z and Nelly videos. Of course, no Hip Hop show would be complete without scantily clad dancing girls. These particular dancing girls happened to be wearing diaper-like shorts!
I tried to upload the videos I took, but my internet is too slow (shocking). So I checked Youtube...
Last night I went to a Hip Hop concert with some friends. This concert was in honor of the 2 year anniversary of the Mongolian Hip Hop label, 2016 Studio. We got to see a bunch of different acts that are on this label. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the groups were really good. One thing that was funny for me was the constant use of words like: “Yo!” and expletives, such as “Motherf&#$%#!” or just plain old “F&%#”. The funniest thing about hearing these words was not that they were out of place with the music, it was just that they seemed to be haphazardly thrown in. Perhaps the goal was to add street creed to the performers. It was obvious that Puff Daddy (aka P. Diddy, Sean “Puffy” Combs) is having his dream of a global empire come true right here in Mongolia. All the performers were wearing Sean Jean, Phat Farm, and Starter Jackets…Whether or not these were legit or Chinese rip-offs is another question.
The performers all were lip syncing, except for the beat-boxers! They were my favorite, because they just got up on stage and did there thing, impromptu. There was also a young boy and girl who rapped together. They were about 10 years old I would say. The little boy had the best stage presence of any of the performers last night. You could tell that he has been watching Jay-Z and Nelly videos. Of course, no Hip Hop show would be complete without scantily clad dancing girls. These particular dancing girls happened to be wearing diaper-like shorts!
I tried to upload the videos I took, but my internet is too slow (shocking). So I checked Youtube...
Here is
Quiza (the only mongolian rapper who doesn't take money from alcohol or cigarette companies): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmMJYXCpk_M
Now YOU can enjoy Mongolian hip hop too!
3 comments:
Where did the Mongolized by Gita get published - can I find it in libraries here? I might find some good stuff for my paper there....
Bagsh: where are the pictures of you hanging with the posse at the Lumino gig in Chicago?
Yep. and also Mongolian most recent good artists are Odko, Gee and Click Click Boom, their videos are on youtube.
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