These 13 songs deserve some space on a ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ soundtrack

Videogame heads and skaters are massively stoked by the reboot of the legendary Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. You know who else is excited? Music fans. The soundtracks to those games were some of the best underground-rock gateway drugs a generation could have. Which made us wonder about what songs should be represented in future iterations of the game.

Tony Hawk is a name synonymous with pro skating and impeccable taste in music. When Pro Skater first arrived in 1999, gamers got their senses heightened in all the best ways. Undeniable classics like Bad Religion‘s “You” and Goldfinger‘s ultimate jam “Superman,” mirrored skating’s sense of freedom. Whether you’re facing down authority or defying gravity, those Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game soundtracks were perfect. But those came out decades ago. The proceeding decades have given us plenty of jams capable of liquefying polyurethane wheels. Which is why we made a video with our suggestions for sweet street savagery.

Read more: Build the next ‘Tony Hawk Pro Skater’ soundtrack to see who to play as

Our potential Pro Skater soundtrack is culled from punk, metal and hip hop sides. There are new-school rappers, tuneful thrashers and some undeniable metal menace. If the timing was better, we’re convinced all of these artists could be featured.  Our picks are loud, sound great when airborne and doesn’t have any clueless meatheads.

When it comes to the stuff coming out of the speakers, the Pro Skater soundtracks are pretty tight. But there’s an important cultural element, as well. Skating was a sport that was embraced by people who felt marginalized by the status quo. That truth is further intensified by the music and art skaters embraced. It was never going to be on the radio, but it was always meant to be heard. Once exposed to such sounds, how many listeners’ brains did kickflips resetting themselves from boring music? It’s a reminder that you don’t need a skateboard to ollie through life.