I recently got invited to the listening party for Travis Barker’s first solo effort, Can A Drummer Get Some? This album is easily going to be on repeat for me for several months after its release and includes an all-star cast of vocalist and musicians. Everyone from Lil’ Wayne and Snoop to Corey Taylor and Slash make an appearance, as do some of the best beats one can find today.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure a copy to listen to multiple times to give you a full review, but what really stuck with me was the energy the album carried. From start to finish, this drum-heavy, star-ridden album made me want to move. While listening, I kept going back and forth between watching Travis drum along on his water bottle and tap his toes to the bass drum and everyone else in the room dancing to the beat of the album.
But Travis isn’t content to just make his own music…he has also teamed up with Guitar Center as part of a ground-breaking unsigned artist discovery program: Guitar Center Presents Your Next Record with Travis Barker. One unsigned artist will have a chance to win the following amazing prize package:
- A 3-song ep produced by Travis Barker at Red Bull Studios in Los Angeles
- Travis Barker to appear on a the winning artist’s single
- $10,000 in new gear from Guitar Center
- Worldwide distribution of the winner’s music through TuneCore
According to Travis: “It is harder than ever to get noticed as a musician, even if you are producing really great material. That’s what Guitar Center and I hope to change for one talented artist or group that’s ready to go to the next level.” To be considered, unsigned artists across the US are invited to submit their music here.
After the listening portion of the album, we had a chance to talk with Travis about the process of making the album, the upcoming tour, and being able to work with so many great musicians. Check out the interview below, and for the tracklisting and artists involved with the album, scroll to the very bottom. Make sure you let us know which tracks you are excited about just based on the people involved!
What was your creative process behind putting together the record?
Lots of time in the studio, lots of playing with my MPC on a bus while on the Blink tour, and just being creative, just building beats. It all came from me spazzing out and having a lot of beats lying around and just finding the right people to be on ‘em.
When you made the tracks, did you have the artists in mind already? How did the collaborations come about for all the tracks?
My first single, “Can A Drummer Get Some?” was created and then after I made the beat, I just happened to be with Swizz Beatz and Game. Some songs maybe somebody was in town, others maybe I had just done something for them and they were gonna give me something back, trading a lot of favors.
Out of all those collaborations, which one would you say was your favorite or most memorable?
They were all good. It was cool when RZA came in to do “Carry It.” I thought he was just gonna come in and rap or something, and he came in jamming guitar, so that was really cool and refreshing. Game’s always a riot at the studio; it’s always a good time. Everyone was so cool in a different way. Each was a different experience to have on the record. It was cool.
You have several different styles of hip hop on the record. Was that intentional?
I listen to it all. I am not stuck to a genre. I don’t just like the south, or I’m just not stuck on the west coast. I’ve come in contact with and like different parts of rap. I’ve always just left it wide open, rather than specializing in a genre of it.
I heard some Public Enemy influences on the album. Can you talk about what they mean to you?
Public Enemy changed things back in the day, and I grew up on it. I grew up in the ’80s, so Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Run DMC…all that stuff was a big influence.
On “Devil’s Got a Hold,” you have a marching band/drumline kind of intro. Is that a nod to Fontana High School?
Oh, for sure. I was definitely in marching band. My studio houses tons of marching snares and quints, so I felt it’d be natural. A lot of the intros and outros you heard on the album are all marching drums. It’s just me doing track after track after track, so I sound like an actual corps or drumline.
How involved were you with the process of writing lyrics and the overall lyrical content of the album?
Hooks, more so. The hook in the Tech N9Ne Bun song spawns from a remix I did with Slaughterhouse last year. I just grabbed a piece of this verse and created a hook, so that can kind of set the tone for what people might write about in the verses. I had such great MCs and talent on there, and I liked ‘em for what they did, so I didn’t really tell ‘em, like “Go write about this.”
What’s been the response from the rock community?
I don’t know. Who would the rock community be? How would I get a hold of ‘em? How would they get a hold of me? [LAUGHTER] I know a lot of people might look at the album and go, “Where’s the punk rock music on there?” I feel like I do so much of that with the other bands I’m already in, so why would I do that on my own? It’d almost be disrespectful to Skinhead Rob or Tim from the Transplants or Mark and Tom from Blink. I wouldn’t do that.
How did you link up with Yelawolf and why’d you choose to showcase him on this album?
Maybe a year and a half ago, [Rob] Dyrdek was like, “Yo, I have this kid from Alabama at the [Fantasy] Factory. He wants to come meet you. You interested or whatever?” I already knew about him. I already had his mix tape, so it was natural for him to come over. We hit it off from the day we met, and I like having him featured on the album. He’ll be on tour with me for a little while. I want to see Yelawolf blow up. [LAUGHTER] He’s so talented.
On the track for “Let’s Go,” everybody has a similar flow. Was that decided ahead of time?
I think it’s the tempo; everyone raps double time. I have three of dopest fast rappers right there. Bust [Busta Rhymes] actually was the first one to be on that song, so he set the bar, and then Twista, and then Yela. He even said, “Yo, this is a dream record for me. When I was a kid I dreamed I’d be on a record with Busta and Twista,” so it was really cool.
A lot of veteran hip-hop artists are on the album. Are there any fresh new artists that you’re looking at right now?
Do you mean that I love? That I think are good? Yeah, I think Yelawolf’s dope. I love seeing Lil B get his shine right now. I think there’s a bunch of good, young hip hop out there.
How hard has it been for you to create this lane for yourself and put out a record as a solo drummer?
I never set out to create a lane really. After Blink broke up, Transplants broke up, and I was a solo musician. Then I spent six years playing with [DJ] AM. During that time, Everything was heavily rooted in hip hop and electronic music. It was just natural for me. I had no idea Blink would ever get back together. That was the reason this album was started. It wasn’t me just sitting around like, “Man, I wanna go do a solo album, screw all the rad bands I’m in.” At the time I wasn’t in any band. I was just trying to find a way to continue making music, feeding my kids.
Would you ever collaborate with Rihanna, and why do you think people keep trying to put you two together?
That’s a good question. I would definitely play on an album or something like that. We’ve been friends for probably a year and a half, ever since I taught her how to play the drums, but never together romantically. [LAUGHTER] I don’t know where the rumors came from.
You were the producer on the album, correct?
Yeah. About six years ago, the same time Transplants and Blink broke up, Bun B had hit up Transplants and said, “I want you guys to do something for my album I’m about to come out with.” During that time, the band dismembered, and he said, “Well, then Travis needs to make that beat.” [LAUGHTER]
So I was kind of challenged by Bun B. He’s someone I looked up to. It was a good kind of challenge, almost like a good offer, a good opportunity, and I wasn’t gonna pass that up. That ended up being the song “Late Night Creepin’” on his album, and I just made beats from then on. I just kept doing remixes and never looked back.
Can A Drummer Get Some? Tracklisting:
- “Can the Drummer Get Some” ft. Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz & The Game
- “If You Want To” ft. Pharell & Lupe Fiasco
- “Carry It” ft. RZA, Raekwon & Tom Morello
- “Knockin’” ft. Snoop Doog, Ludacris, E-40 & Dev
- “Jump Down” ft. Cool Kids
- “Devil’s Got A Hold of Me” ft. Slaughterhouse
- “Let’s Go” ft. Lil Jon, Busta Rhymes, Twista & Yelawolf
- “Saturday Night” ft. The Transplants & Slash
- “Cool Head” ft. Kid Cudi
- “Raw Shit” ft. Tech N9ne & Bun B
- “Just Chill” ft. Beanie Sigal, Bun B & Kobe
- “Beat Goes On” ft. Cypress Hill
- “On My Own” ft. Corey Taylor (Deluxe Edition Only)
- “Don’t Fuck With Me” ft. Paul Wall, Jay Rock & Kurupt (Deluxe Edition Only)
- “City of Dreams” ft. The Clipse & Kobe (Deluxe Edition Only)
- “Misfits” ft. Steve Aoki (Deluxe Edition Only)
For more on Travis Barker:
New Travis Barker Interview! Enjoy! http://bit.ly/i3XwUg