King County Executive presents the Martin Luther King Jr. County  Executive’s Awards for Excellence in Hip Hop at MUSICA Festival

Award ceremony to feature artist performances, Hip Hop panel, civil rights leaders and live webcast on KUBE93.com and SyncLive.com

Seattle, WA — King County Executive Ron Sims will present the annual Martin Luther King Jr. County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in Hip Hop at the MUSICA Festival, 5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Avenue South. Tickets for this event are available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/53070.

The award acknowledges and honors innovative performance, community service and entrepreneurial achievement by locally based members of the hip-hop community whose work has had significant impact in King County.

The awards ceremony  and the MUSICA Festival features performances by local and national artists, panel discussions related to issues in the music industry, a hip-hop marketplace and Dr. King/civil rights exhibits.

KUBE 93 FM will webcast MUSICA Festival events on KUBE 93.com, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, January 17. The evening will feature panels, including “Hip Hop: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, and Hip Hop addresses youth violence.” The hip-hop marketplace will feature the wares of local creators of hip-hop music, graffiti art and fashions and a history of Northwest Hip Hop display.

For up-and-coming hip-hoppers, the event will feature information on college preparedness and the entertainment business.  Participants include music industry professionals, college prep organizations, community service agencies, radio personalities and a variety of musical instruments for youth to experiment with.

Entrance to the festivities at the Columbia City Theatre is $10.00 from 3:00 to 8 p.m. The awards ceremony and evening program, from 5 to 8 p.m., will feature performances by local hip hop artists, dance groups and national acts. The program will also include a keynote address by King County Executive Ron Sims.   Space is limited and reservations are recommended to the awards ceremony and evening program. General admission is $10, table seating is $25, VIP private seating and access is $100.00 per person.  www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/53070.  For group rates or questions call (206) 280-3690 or e-mail marcellat@musicaentertainment.org. Proceeds benefit the Pulse Project ( a video and audio production program for teens) and MUSICA for Youth, which supports early childhood development.

An independent panel reviewed nominations and recommended Hip Hop Award recipients.   Previous award recipients include: Wyking Allah and Toddler Hip Hop (2008), Gordon Curvey, DJ Supreme and King Khazm (2006), Sir Mix-A-Lot, Industry Pioneer; Melissa Noelle Green, Spoken Word; The Volunteer Staff of KMIH-FM “X-104,” Broadcast Innovation; (2005) Georgio Brown and The Coolout Network; (2004) Jonathan Moore, co-founder and chief executive of Jasiri Media Group; and (2003) Shon Peterson, Mr. Dog (2002).

The MUSICA Festival celebrates music in Seattle by bringing together many genres of music, including hip hop, R&B, electronica, jazz, blues, reggae, Latin, gospel and spoken word, in an effort to unite people and create awareness of issues impacting communities.

The MUSICA Festival honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through hip hop. For ticket information, visit www.musicaentertainment.org

The Martin Luther King Jr. County Executive’s Award for Excellence in Hip Hop is co-sponsored by  MUSICA Entertainment, King County, KUBE 93 FM, Cap1 Entertainment,Synclive.com and C2M2.

MUSICA Entertainment promotes the value of music, arts and culture in and of communities throughout the Northwest