Travis Barker

Travis Barker has built a legacy out of making his trademark drumming a song’s most memorable hook. When the 22-year-old punk rocker and hip-hop fanatic left The Aquabats! to join blink-182 in 1998, he was already a world-class musician steeped in jazz and competitive drumline. The California native’s marching-band beats and skittering rudiments would go on to command the spotlight on many of the trio’s hits, as well as steer the spins-offs +44 and Box Car Racer. In addition to a slew of side projects and remix work, Barker launched a solo career beginning with 2011’s star-studded Give the Drummer Some, a rap-rock set unique for how it makes his intricate syncopation (rather than the MCs’ verses) the music’s lead voice. The project also set the stage for his emergence as a collaborator, producer, and mentor helping to usher in a new generation of artists, including Machine Gun Kelly and Trippie Redd, indebted to Barker’s infectious gift for connecting the dots between punk and hip-hop.