Saturday is the third annual Arizona Hip Hop Festival in downtown Phoenix. It’s a large all-day event that brings together the four elements of old school hip hop culture: rappers, DJs, visual artists and dancers.
The festival is organized by a group called Respect the Underground. CEO Justus Samuel said the event is meant to bring together local independent artists, give them a space to perform, connect the with labels and provide a sense of community and camaraderie.
"We've always had an Arizona hip hop community. Don't get it twisted," said Samuel. "It's just always been so segregated, clicky and geographically niche. Now we're here, and we have an overabundance of artists who just needed a platform and a microphone to let their voice be heard."
There will also be an open mic for anyone who might want to test their rapping chops, including local students. In conjunction with the festival, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has now designated the third Saturday of November as Hip Hop Day.
The event will start at 10 a.m., will take place both inside the Comerica Theatre, as well as outside on city streets.