— Photo courtesy of Somerville Arts Council

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Arts Council, in partnership with producer Yvette Wilks of Wilks Productions Consultancy, invite community members to the eleventh annual Evolution of Hip Hop Festival on Saturday, August 23 (rain date: August 24), from 4 to 7:30 p.m. in Union Square Plaza.  

Evolution of Hip Hop is an annual ArtsUnion festival and is free for all to attend. This year’s event is building an intergenerational community of those who love music, beats and storytelling, which are part of the many components of Hip Hop. 

Here’s what to expect: 

• Musical performances begin at 4 p.m.: Enjoy the sounds of Latin hip hop band FM Collective will be headlining the evening with performances by Dro Casso, and more. Stay tuned as artists continue to be added to the line-up. 

• Photo opportunities with a collection of vintage cars provided by Gregory Smith of Show Riders and Ultimate Entertainment group  

• Visual artists and craft vendors 

• Community tabling: Meet, greet, and get information from local community groups 

“The festival was created to provide a platform for our youth and upcoming artists and to help remove the stigma associated with Hip Hop,” said event producer Yvette Wilks.