Travis Barker has single handedly made himself relevant in the hip hop scene by making music with some of the biggest names in hip hop. From Lil Wayne to Techn9ne he has worked aside some of most talented and brightest stars and is coming off of the flame that is Give The Drummer Some. Completely produced by himself besides one track — “If You Want To” (Pharrel)– Travis Barker is solidifying a name for himself in the hip hop community.
A lot of casual fans in the hip hop scene may have never heard of Travis Barker — the drummer for Blink 182, Transplants and Box Car Racer to name a few — yet he has been working it since around two thousand and five. He has been cranking out high end remixes such as the latest “H.A.M.” remix that has blogs buzzing and is simply pure crack (the opera sample is ill). It may seem a stretch given the pop punk roots of one “TRVS BRKR” but in a short time he has amassed a very impressive hip hop resume and is currently one of the most sought out producers in the game; dude is hot right now.
After Blink and Transplants broke up about six years ago a time existed when Mr. Barker really had nothing going and was looking to just keep creating music as well as some sort of revenue. He got into more hip hop and drum and bass and had been hanging out with the late great DJ AM (rest in peace). Eventually he ended up producing “Late Night Creeping” — a track for one half of UGK’s Bun B on Trill — after Transplant was scheduled to do something on it but had broken up. After that he just never looked back and kept putting out fire and stacking tracks witch lead to the formulation of his solo offering the CD Give The Drummer Some.
His style is rather unique and all inclusive as no type of music is safe — he melds pop, synth, rap and rock with a splash of drum and bass when he creates. Genres are blurred when you hear songs like “On My Own” featuring Corey Taylor from Slipknot and “Cool Head” featuring Kid Cudi. It really is a breath of fresh air and it would seem the whole thing was a chance to begin with so he is not afraid to keep going that route i.e. keep taking chances. While it surprises no one that some people are going to be a tap skeptical of some of the music when you hear the serious 808’s that he has constructed you have to give props.
Blink 182 is superstar status in all fairness and has sold millions of records. It is really a testament to Mr. Barker and his artistic talents that he even feels a need to venture into other genres. He could just sit back and collect royalty checks but prefers to make hi end art. With a fresh outlook on the genre and, considering all the hollers of the stagnation in hip hop, you can then put two and two together and realize why he is so sought after. It is a copy cat league, sure, but for now I can not think of anyone who is making beats like him.
Currently on tour with Lil Wayne selling out venues all over and gearing up for another Blink 182 release, Mr. Barker is as relevant as ever and as any. With beats that knock you would have to be devoid of musical sense to deny the talent of the CEO of Famous Stars And Straps. If you do not like him I would wager a claim that your favorite artist does and like it or not he is here to stay.