Earlier this week, Travis Barker put his own spin on Lil Peep and XXXtentacion’s “Falling Down.”
The remix was inspired by Blink-182’s “Adam’s Song” from 1999, which he talked about in a clip on Instagram. “I still really, really love the original,” he said. “It just puts you in a mood, you know? You never listen with those ears like, ‘What if I was gonna remix this?’ but you just hear the potential of so many other things it could be.”
This isn’t the rock drummer/producer’s first time taking on other artists’ work, though. Aside from his work with Blink, of course, he’s been releasing drum covers and remixes for the last decade. In 2011, he released his feature-heavy debut solo album Give the Drummer Some, which was followed by another collaborative project, the Psycho White EP. He’s continued to work on collaborative projects like Live Fast Die Whenever with hip-hop duo $uicideboy$ while also working on his next solo album.
With so many collabs under his belt, Billboard decided to round up some of the best.
“Falling Down” (with Lil Peep and XXXtentacion)
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As mentioned, this remix takes cues from Blink-182’s “Adam’s Song” from 1999’s Enema of the State. The track was originally released as a posthumous bonus track on Peep’s sophomore album, Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2.
“Friends Go” (by Maggie Lindemann)
Barker is known to dabble mostly in rock and rap, but just last month he shredded on a remix of pop singer-songwriter Lindemann’s single, “Friends Go.” “I feel like this version of song dives a little deeper into me as an artist,” Lindemann told Billboard. “I like to be versatile in my music because I am versatile in my everyday life. But I feel like this version is really me, so I hope people enjoy it!”
“I Think I’m Okay” (with Machine Gun Kelly and Yungblud)
Barker appeared on one of the cathartic lead singles from MGK’s brand-new album Hotel Diablo, released just last week on July 8. On Beats 1 with Zane Lowe, MGK explained that when making it, he was “scared to even bring [Barker] the song ’cause [he] was like, ‘Maybe he’s gonna think it’s too Blink-182.’” Obviously, Barker loved it and ended up being a perfect pair with Yungblud.
“Aliens Are Ghosts” (with $uicideBoy$)
From Barker’s collaborative EP with $uicideBoy$, Live Fast Die Whenever, “Aliens Are Ghosts” is a dark yet humorous, bass-heavy rap track that features audio of critics negatively breaking down their music between verses. “Simultaneously there are spots on this album that just come off as too edgy or try hard or basic…” the critics’ conversation says at the end as it fades out.
“Can A Drummer Get Some” (feat. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz, The Game)
The intro track on Barker’s debut solo album fittingly features Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz and The Game. “But I’m ’bout to go off, ’cause that is all I know of/ I don’t have to show y’all, I’d rather show off/ Yeah, Travis on the drums, Travis on the beat/ Wayne got the smoke and Game got the heat,” Wayne raps.
“If You Want To” (feat. Pharrell Williams and Lupe Fiasco)
“If You Want To” is another cut from Barker’s debut and it features Williams and Fiasco, which means it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a good collab. The percussion is nothing less than you’d expect — explosive and full of energy — as the two singers go off on top of it with catchy back-and-forth verses.
“11 Minutes” (with Yungblud and Halsey)
“I Think I’m Okay” isn’t the first time Barker appeared on a track with Yungblud. The two also worked together along with pop superstar Halsey earlier this year. “I think I missed you callin’ on the other line/ I’m just thinkin’ all these thoughts up in my mind,” the two real-life love birds sing with both a sweetness and an angst over Barker’s distinctive drumming, making for a super gritty track.
“Let’s Go” (feat. Yelawolf, Twista, Busta Rhymes and Lil Jon)
“Let’s Go” is yet another bop from Barker’s debut which opens up with a fire verse from Busta. Following that, every rapper starts to test their speed, spitting out what feelings like a thousand words per second.
“One Minute” (feat. Kanye West and Xxxtentacion)
“Falling Down” wasn’t the first time Barker lent his drumming skills to an Xxxtentacion song either. He also worked on the rapper’s song “One Minute” which featured Kanye West, from his 2018 album Skins.
“Heart Of Gold” (with Riff Raff and DJ Afterthought)
Barker appeared on Riff Raff and DJ Afterthought’s 2016 album Balloween, which boasted a different sound than Barker’s used to. It’s more of a folk-tinged rock song with twangy guitars and organs, which of course the drummer still subtly nailed.
“Push ‘Em” (with Yelawolf)
Barker has collaborated with Yelawolf, the rapper, whose real name is Michael Wayne Atha, many times. One of the best was when the two got together for the track “Push ‘Em” off their collaborative 2012 EP Psycho White.
“Misfits” (feat. Steve Aoki)
Just when you thought Barker has done it all: He also collaborated with mega DJ Steve Aoki for this intense, eccentric 2011 track “Misfits,” also from Give The Drummer Some.
“Just Chill” (feat. Beanie Sigel, Bun B and Kobe)
One last highlight from Barker’s solo album was “Just Chill,” a chill song, as the title suggests, that features Beanie Sigel, Bun B and Kobe. “I’mma just chill/ Lay low and stay breezy,” are the main lyrics on top of Barker’s characteristic drumming.