Three Kent-based hip-hop and R&B artists will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Kiva to open for Cleveland-based rapper Chip Tha Ripper. Admission is free for Kent State students and $5 for the general public.

The event, hosted by the Collegiate Business Association, features the winner and runners-up of the Hip-Hop and R&B Talent Showcase held last September. Marcello Paulino, a disc jockey for Cleveland hip-hop station Z107.9 FM, will serve as the master of ceremonies.

First-place winner Jeannette Reyes, a Kent State student, will perform songs from her demo, which she recorded as part of her prize. Reyes said she plans to sing an upbeat song that is partly in Spanish and a slower R&B song. Fellow Kent State students Joey Pompignano and Taja Pope are also scheduled to perform.

Austin Briggs, fundraising chair for the Collegiate Business Association, said the purpose of the event is twofold.

“We wanted to promote awareness for our group and also give Jeannette a chance to perform her new material to a sold-out crowd,” Briggs said.

-Katie Young