X Games Announces Music Lineup for Kickoff Party at First Avenue

The inaugural X GAMES Minneapolis kicks off with a lineup of Hip-Hop talent from Minnesota's own Rhymesayers Entertainment, performing Thursday, July 13 at Minneapolis' famed First Avenue. Following the Harley-Davidson Flat Track competition at Mall of America, the kickoff party will begin at 10 p.m. deM atlaS will open the concert, followed by Aesop Rock with Rob Sonic co-headlining the night with Prof. Tickets are $25 and will be available for purchase May 12 at XGames.com/tickets.

Artist bios:

Prof is already a legend on the southside of Minneapolis. With three self-released albums, plus three additional mixtapes of exclusive material already under his belt, it should come as no surprise he'd been tirelessly making music for over a decade before releasing Liability with Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2015. While he's continued to develop over that time, both musically and artistically, he's also fine-tuned his live show to such a spectacle that he's undeniably made a lasting impression on the scene. As an entertainer, Prof shows incredible diversity. Whether artistically or characteristically, he purposefully maneuvers between the parallels of inconceivable experiences and extraordinary fantasies. From the factual to the fictitious, there's seemingly no end to the number of unique narratives or deliveries at his disposal. Once considered the underdog, Prof has fought his way to the forefront of the scene and amassed a ravenous following along the way.

Aesop Rock (aka Ian Bavitz) is a critically acclaimed Hip-Hop artist/producer, recognized for his dense and abstract word-play. His career rose to fame early on as a prominent member of El-P's now defunct label, Def Jux. Since 1997, he has released seven solo albums, three EPs, a 45-minute Nike-commissioned piece of music designed for runners, and more. His music has also been featured in numerous video games, including Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and NBA 2K6 where he was also a playable character. Aesop has also TAKEN part in an eclectic mix of collaborations, landing him both behind the board and in front of the mic. He has provided music for short films, a series of Nike skateboarding videos, contributed beats and vocals to albums and co-produced albums. In 2016, after scoring Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott's action-thriller feature, Bushwick, Aesop released his seventh full-length solo album, The Impossible Kid.

Since signing in late 2013, deM atlaS hasn't wasted any time in spreading his brand of Hip-Hop music across the world. Steadily on the road since his signing, he was able to find the time to release his unofficial debut, DWNR, in late 2014. DWNR was a special release because each cover was uniquely hand-drawn by deM atlaS himself. Released to critical acclaim, the first pressing of over 1000 copies sold out within 48 hours. deM followed the release of DWNR with major festival plays around the country and released his second EP in the fall of 2015.

The X GAMES at First Avenue show kicks off three days of musical performances on the stage at X GAMES Minneapolis. The Commons stage, located outside U.S. Bank Stadium, will host performances from A Day To Remember, Flume and Minneapolis' own Atmosphere. Performances will begin July 14, at 10:45 p.m., Saturday at 10:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. (all times MT). Tickets and full music and competition schedules are now available at XGames.com/tickets.

Additional information on all X GAMES Minneapolis 2017 events will be forthcoming on www.xgames.com for fans or on www.espnmediazone.com for media only.

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