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Nearly every taxi you get into in Ulaanbaatar is playing hip-hop. The genre made its way into the country a little less than 30 years ago after the dissolution of communism following the Mongolian Revolution of 1990, paving the way towards a more democratic society. As capitalism supplanted communism, the post-Soviet nation saw the arrival of foreign trade and investment, and perhaps somewhat inevitably, an influx of Western culture — from MTV to the NBA. Whilst many young Mongolians remain conflicted around issues of pollution and a socio-economic divide, they remain united through the wisdom of hip-hop, so much so that politicians attempt to buy up rappers to harness their power and influence.

In October 2019, London based photographer and director Alex de Mora travelled to Mongolia on a self-funded trip to document the city of Ulaanbaatar and its undiscovered hip-hop scene. Straight Outta Ulaanbaatar is unique cultural insight into the city, music, and the people of Ulaanbaatar, which has been brought to life with a book and short film. Featuring many of the scene’s key players, from Big Gee, Boom T, and Maberrant, to AMG Mop G, Mrs M, Fla, Boldoo, and others, the story documents local characters, up and coming rap artists, b-boys and record store owners to get under the skin of the Mongolian hip-hop scene.

“I have always been pretty obsessed with music and subculture, so I was looking into what different music scenes there are around the world. I discovered a few articles about Mongolian hip-hop, and found the story behind it all really interesting, how a place with such a rich cultural history like Mongolia took on influences from across the globe and translated it into their own style,” de Mora shares. Piqued by what he had been reading and listening to, de Mora got in touch with rapper Big Gee, one of the film’s most prominent protagonist, via Instagram and was eventually put in touch with his manager over e-mail, who was also eager in introducing other artists to de Mora and his team. “We found Mongolian people in general have a strong sense of community, and were really receptive and helpful towards my team during our visit.” 

Inspired by artists such as Wu Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg, Big Gee grew up in the ger district of Ulaanbaatar, which are huge sprawling areas that make up roughly 60-70% of the population of the city. “These areas are made up of traditional yurts (ger means yurt) and houses, and don’t have running water, so are tough places to live in, especially during the winter when it gets as low as -40° celsius.” Following the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a poet, Big Gee began writing poetry at the age of nine. “In 1996, I first listened to hip-hop music, and then I thought, I can put my poems on the beat.” Since then, Big Gee has made it as a celebrity, by rapping about Mongolian life and struggles that many of the people living in Ulaanbaatar can relate to. All of the younger rappers know and respect him, he is recognised everywhere he goes.

"To be a Mongolian man means having a continued relationship with the countryside. To show what’s being lost. Patriotism doesn’t mean not being critical of the changes that are happening. In fact, it’s patriotism that invites you to challenge the hypocrisy of people who claim they’re patriotic but in fact are destroying the very things that give you that connection to the land." — Big Gee, The Politics of Mongolian Hip-Hop with MC Dizraeli, BBC Sounds