Metallica, Nicki Minaj, More Headlining 2015 X Games in Austin

Metallica has been announced as the headliner for the 2015 X Games Super Stage, playing on a bill that features Nicki Minaj, Talib Kweli, Kid Ink, the Glitch Mob, Pennywise, Deltron 3030 and Joywave. The news was revealed during an interview between the band and skateboarding icon Tony Hawk.

"There's a connection to those type of people. It's similar energy. You see at these events they're playing a lot of hard rock metal and punk rock," said Robert Trujillo, who compared his own method of playing the bass to skate and snowboarding, citing his low center of gravity. "The tribe that followed that style of music is still around for the sports. These guys are listening to that music. It's important to them. It's a part of their lineage. I'm excited. One of the things I enjoy is hearing the music and seeing the skating. Seeing the two worlds working together at the same time."

This year's X Games will take place in Austin, TX, a city where Metallica hasn't played for more than six years. The show will take place on June 6. This will be the second consecutive year that the X Games has taken up residency in Austin, after a long run of competitions in California.

This marks a somewhat reversed approach to the music lineup compared to the 2014 event. While there are plenty of hip-hop acts represented this year—from Minaj to "supergroup" Deltron 3030 (featuring Del The Funky Homosapien, Dan The Automator and Kid Koala)—that genre took the headline position last year when Kanye West was the main event. Other acts during 2014 included The Flaming Lips, Pretty Lights, Gary Clark Jr., Mac Miller and Slightly Stoopid.

There is a Kevin-Bacon-esque connection to be made between the celebrities featured in the X Games interview: Although Los Angeles (and not Metallica's hometown of San Francisco) is regarded as ground zero for the skateboarding culture, the 1986 drama that brought the sport to national attention was titled Thrashin' (seemingly a reference to the thrash metal scene popular in Southern California). One of the guest appearances made in that film? Skateboarder Tony Hawk, then 18 years-old.

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Metallica, Nicki Minaj, Talib Kweli, Kid Ink, The Glitch Mob, Kanye West, The Flaming Lips