Though blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is known for being a total gun behind the kit (seriously, remember when he broke his wrist and continued to drum one-handed?), of late he's also diversified his musical portfolio by producing and writing with a heap of artists in various genres - from hip hop, to rap, to pop, with artists at all points of their careers.
From working with Amy Shark, dropping a collaborative EP with emo rapper nothing, nowhere., to helping Willow Smith venture into being a punk rocker, to working with Bebe Rexha on her new album Better Mistakes, Travis is the people's musician and game for anything.
To celebrate Bebe and Travis's new song, Break My Heart Myself, we decided to look back at some of Travis's recent non-punk work.
Nothing, Nowhere. x Travis Barker - DESTRUCTION
The duo saved the best for first IMO. DESTRUCTION leads up the Bloodlust EP and boasts a very pop punk chorus, no doubt influenced by Travis, with rap verses from nothing, nowhere. But as always, Travis shines best when he's behind the kit and he pulls out his best for this one.
Maggie Lindemann - Friends Go (ft. Travis Barker)
Pop newcomer Maggie Lindemann first got our attention with Friends Go back in March, an edgy but sleek pop cut in the vein of Halsey. But in July, Maggie popped on her guitar and called up Travis for a Friends Go remix that we didn't expect. Unlike most remixes where a producer or DJ chops up the original or a rapper or singer adds an extra verse, Maggie and Travis completely re-envisioned the song as a pop punk track and with a brand new video clip.
Yungblud, Halsey & Travis Barker - 11 Minutes
Both Yungblud and Halsey have talked about their punk rock roots, so when the IRL couple teamed up with the famous drummer for modern tragedy that is 11 Minutes, we were hooked instantly. The duet is an emotionally charged push-and-pull and combined with Travis' driving beats, this collab will be one to remember when we think about epic team-ups.
Steve Aoki - Cudi The Kid (ft. Kid Cudi & Travis Barker)
Not one to stick to just punk, Travis has also hit up his mate Steve Aoki and rapper Kid Cudi for a genre-bending track called Cudi The Kid. It's dubstep meets rock meets rap with a pretty killer music video too. It's not the first time Trav and Steve have hooked up - you may remember Steve has remixed blink-182's Bored To Death as well as featured the band on the track Why Are We So Broken.
93Punx, Vic Mensa, Travis Barker - 3 Years Sober
Vic Mensa's spoken at length about his love for rock, having freestyled over Twenty One Pilots, worked with Joel Madden from Good Charlotte and even Bad Brains. 93Punx is Vic's punk band and he's hit up Travis for 93Punx as he promised Beats1, explaining, "The Clash and The Dead Kennedys are my two favorite bands, but I’m also pulling inspiration from places like, obviously blink. I got an ill record on there from Joel Madden from Good Charlotte. I had H.R. from Bad Brains in the studio.” 3 Years Sober is a hardcore punk-influenced cut, showing the breadth of Vic's talent as well as Travis flexing a heavier drumming style.
He explains about the punk AF video, "The 3 Years Sober video is a statement about identity. I put on a confederate flag dress to be able to laugh at a symbol of hate, and played tug of war with Mike Pence over birth control. I had my face written on to get ahead of everything I know people will say about me and had a diner full of BBQ Becky’s call the police on me for using the women’s bathroom. I know some in hip hop culture will see this and say ‘Vic’s gay' (which I’m not), whereas if I was white they’d just say 'he’s a rockstar.' 93PUNX is about being yourself, fuck what people think."
