The Annual Athens Hip Hop Awards is celebrating a milestone this year. The organization is hosting its 10 annual show this Saturday at the 40 Watt club downtown. Mokah Jasmine Johnson is the co-founder. She says the event includes more than entertainment.
"It's a red carpet event, and the Hip Hop Awards place the spotlight not just on the urban artists and the hip hop artists here in Athens, but also the business," Johnson said.
"The soul food restaurants, beauty salons, the movers and shakers that's within the Black community that's doing things that people might not know about. This is a way for people to also learn more about Athens' Black culture and the community."
Johnson says the show provides a platform for established acts as well as up and coming artists. Festivities began at 7 pm.
This Saturday will also see the crowning of the first Miss Juneteenth. The Morton Theatre is hosting the pageant. Organizer Shawania Lay says 18 contestants are vying for the inaugural title.
"So they will start out by doing a dance routine and they will go into introduction competition, which each girl will introduce themselves and tell a little bit about themselves," according to Lay. "After that we have talent competition, so each girl will do talent. Then after that is fashion competition, evening gown competition, then we'll comeback together to do question and answers."
She says the event is a different way to celebrate Juneteenth.
The pageant starts at 5 pm at the Morton Theatre..
