How Travis Barker Got In the Rap Game | Joe Rogan

You said you're managing or you're producing rap artists? Yeah. How many? Like I'm in the studio right now with this group called Suicide Boys, who are awesome. They're from New Orleans. And we have an EP coming out that's called Live Fast, Die Whenever. And we just finished over the weekend. Or yesterday. So it's, you know, you go in there at noon and you leave there at 4 in the morning, every day until you're finished, because they're only in town for a little while. So yeah, it takes a little bit. And then like I worked on XXXtentacion's album before he passed away. I work with like Smokepurpp, Vic Menza, a bunch of different artists. Do you like that because it's a different genre, helps you mix it up a little bit? Are you just a big rap fan as well? Obviously you're wearing an Ice Cube shirt. Yeah, I grew up, I actually listened to rap music before I listened to any kind of music at all. Like Beastie Boys and Run DMC and Public Enemy and The Far Side and KRS-1, that's what I grew up on. And then I discovered, I loved metal too, I loved Slayer and King Diamond. And then I discovered a band called Minor Threat and The Descendants and Black Flag and Bad Brains. And I just liked it all. And then my dad listened to jazz music and country rebel music. So I was born and raised on like Johnny Cash and Buck Owens and everything. And I kind of learned to love it all. And I had people around me when I was young, when I was first learning how to read music, that just kept embedding in my head like you got to listen to everything. You can't just learn one thing. So I was actually taught how to play like traditional jazz when I was really young. And then I taught myself how to play everything else. That's fucking cool. Yeah, but I always loved everything. That's nice that you have an appreciation for all those different genres too. Yeah, it'd be like if all you did was UFC commentating, you'd be like, I'm going to go crazy. Like this must be so much fun for you and all of your other endeavors. Like same thing, like if I was only making, you know, punk rock records or pop punk records or whatever it was, I think I would go insane. And it's been like that for three years, you know? Yeah, I think different people, I think some people, if they're just doing like baseball commentary or something like that, they're fucking happy as shit. They love it. They just want to do that. But there's some people like you or maybe like me that I need different things. Yeah, I will go crazy. I love like studio life is awesome. Like I did a Hans Zimmer thing the other week and then the next day I'm in with like a band called Nothing Nowhere doing something completely different. This week I'm doing a little peep in XXX remix. It has to be like that for me. I get really bored and I just don't feel creative. Right. So kind of like, I don't know. That's cool though. I don't like that. How does that work? Like you get a phone call or someone texts you, hey Travis, we need you to come in here and light this motherfucker on fire and you get in there and... Yeah, it's been like that, you know? Or like, you know, some projects manifested too. Like there's this band called the Fever 333 that I produce and write with and they just got nominated for a Grammy, like they're up for a Grammy for Best Rock Performance. And that was something I just envisioned with the singer of that band, Jason. And we started literally a year ago and they're nominated for a Grammy. Wow. So like stuff like that, like kind of being an architecture without building buildings, you know, being an architecture and music or whatever it is, whatever it is you're passionate about, that excites me. You're just building sound. Yeah, like there's nothing better. And working with different genres too has got to be exciting too because you can mix it up and... Yeah. Wow. Now when you're like, how do you like schedule your time in terms of like how much time you're going to spend on your own studio work, how much time you're going to spend on other people's stuff to just play it by ear? It seems like with a guy like you, you must get so many requests and you said you have a hard time saying no. I would imagine it's fucking overwhelming. Yeah. Well, my kids come first before everything, anything, you know? And then I get a lot of opportunities like my son Landon is a big rap fan. Like he loves rap. He was raised on rap music. Like he grew up touring with me in Little Wayne when I toured with Little Wayne and he loves being in the studio. So he'll come with me to the studio so I can kind of like double dip work at the same time as he's in B making music, you know, my studio B, which is really, really awesome. And then same with Alabama. She's the... I'm lucky they're both musicians because Alabama and Landon both love music. So they like going on tour with me. They like going to the studio with me. Yeah. Or I probably wouldn't be working so much. That's really cool. Yeah. What the fuck is it like going on tour with Little Wayne? It was so awesome. I came out with a rap project where I produced, I made all the beats and I just got all my favorite rappers. Everyone from like RZA, from the Wu-Tang Clan to Lil Wayne, Game, Swizz Beatz. It was, it was crazy. I think I had 30 guests on there and Wayne asked me to go out on tour with him. So me and Mix Master Mike from the Beasties were like the opening act on that tour and Drake was out there, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross. Wow. So fun. So I loaded up the bus with everyone. I brought Yellow Wolf out. I brought J-Rock. I bought Paul Wall. I brought the Cool Kids and we just got in a bus and we went on tour. Jesus Christ. It was the best. Yeah. How long are those shows? All those people? How long is that show? That's like a, well with all the acts at least four hours. Yeah, it's a long one. By the time the fucking show's over, like good lord, that audience must be beaten into a coma. Oh yeah. But then the headliners on who they're really there to see. Right. But that was a big accomplishment just being able to play in that genre of music because I listened to it as a kid. There's never really been a home for a live drummer in a rap scenario. Right. So from the beginning, I think I don't even know what year it was when Puff called me when I had just joined Blink and he's like, yo, I want you to be in this video. I was like, what? Like, you know what I mean? Because I pretty much was, I was just like, wow, I'm in one of the biggest, you know, bands in the world. I'm so stoked. I couldn't ask for anything more and I always wanted to, yeah. Can a drummer get something? That tour was so fun. But yeah, once Puff asked me to be in a video, it was kind of like a, it just, snowballed from there. You just got into that world. Yeah. And I had no idea why he wanted me, you know, but I was just like, wow, this is so cool because I grew up on Big E. Like, I loved all that genre of music, but I was okay with just staying in my lane as well. But when I got accepted with like Open Arms and I was invited to do like BET Awards with TI or Tiger or Wayne and it was just insane, you know, playing the Grammys. The funny thing is I've never played the Grammys with Blink, but I played the Grammys with like Pitbull, Drake, Eminem. Like, it's so weird. It's so weird to me. I just feel it's a trip. The opportunities I've had outside of rock music have been such blessings. When you say all these things and you know that you did all these things, does it almost seem like you're living in a dream? Yeah, I feel like smacking myself. Like it doesn't feel real. When people go like, oh, who would you like to collaborate with? I feel like I'm so spoiled and I've been so blessed to play with all these musicians I love. I just say nobody, you know, whatever comes, I'm happy with.