By Dylan Russell | @KyKernel

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Students looking to show off their rapping skills can perform in the rap battle at the Cats Den on Thursday at 8 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Student Center Director’s Office and will be the last scheduled event at the Cats Den this semester.

Admission is free, and there is no cost to perform in the battle. Only eight slots are available for the rap battle and they are filled on a first come, first serve basis.

Sign up starts Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

“The eight contestants are placed in a bracket. Two contestants face off and do 60 seconds of freestyle raps, going back and forth for three rounds,” said Stephanie Martin, assistant director for Activities and Marketing at the Student Center.

The judges will determine who goes through each round. The judges will feature guest rapper, Karté, from Indianapolis, one Cats Den Coordinator and one randomly selected guest judge from the crowd.

The rappers must perform original work. After a winner is determined by the judges, there will be many prizes handed out that were donated by local businesses, such as McAlister’s and Wildcat Wearhouse.

“The winner of the rap battle will receive a Cats Den T-shirt, a $25 Wildcat Wearhouse gift card, and the opportunity to open a rap concert in the Cats Den during the Fall 2013 semester. The runner-up in the battle will receive a gift card for a complimentary meal at McAlister’s Deli,” Martin said.

The rap battle will be followed by a concert from Karté. Local Lexington music artist, DJ Out Here, will also be featured at the event.

“This is sure to be a big, fun, engaging event so we encourage students to come out and enjoy it,” Martin said.