I’m not a huge fan of rap. I have the token Eminem songs on my workout playlist and every once in a while I’ll play some Fort Minor, but for the most part I can’t seem to get into hip-hop.
So when Travis Barker released his solo-project on March 15, I was a little skeptical.
Travis Barker is the gifted drummer of Blink-182, and die-hard fans of the band may remember that most of Blink’s initial successes could be attributed to Barker’s incredible drumming.
Well, this isn’t a Blink-182 album, or even your typical rock album.
Produced by Barker and over a dozen others, mostly rappers, Give the Drummer Some is unlike anything else I’ve ever heard.
But with big names like RZA and Dr. Dre working alongside Barker, I suppose I should have known this would be something great and not just an average album.
Give the Drummer Some features different rappers and musicians on every track.
The only unifying element to the album is that every song showcases Barker’s incredible drumming.
But even with song titles like, “Can a Drummer Get Some?” the album doesn’t come across as arrogant or full of itself, the way Kanye might.
It is rather a simple collection of tracks showing off Barker’s unique style.
If the list of producers seems impressive, the guests featured are even more so.
Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, RZA and even Snoop Dog appear. And it’s not just an impressive array of vocalists either.
Tom Morello, lead guitarist for Rage Against the Machine backs Barker up on a track and even Slash plays guitar on a song.
Fans of rap will love this album.
“Cool Head” featuring Kid Cudi is one of my favorites, taking the best elements of Kid Cudi’s unique flavor and combining them with Barker’s beat-style.
There’s a deluxe version of the album and if you’re going to buy Give the Drummer Some, make sure to get it deluxe.
Four extra tracks are well worth the extra money and I’d be less crazy about the album as a whole if it weren’t for these tracks.
One of these will definitely appeal to the more rock-oriented listener.
Corey Taylor, lead singer of Slipknot and Stone Sour, sings in “On My Own” and Barker tears up the drums while Taylor shreds the vocals.
It’s a fast-paced song and sounds like nothing else on the album, but doesn’t seem out of place.
That’s not to say the album is perfect. There are a few songs that seem out of place and don’t really flow well.
And as great as it to see Snoop Dog and Ludacris collaborating on an album, you have to wonder if there are almost too many big names working on the project.
Interestingly though, “Knockin” which featured Snoop, Ludacris, E-40 and Dev, was a great track.
The beat works well and a few times Travis lets himself loose on the drums and tears them apart.
“Let’s Go” is also a great song. It’s a song with fast-paced drumming and even faster rapping. Busta Rhymes and Twista shine in it.
You’ll listen to this over and over just to try to catch every word, but you won’t mind, the song is that good.
If you’re not a fan of rap you’ll still appreciate the amazing melodies found in nearly every song and you’ll still enjoy tracks like “Devil’s Got a Hold of Me” and “On My Own.”
If you like rap even a little, you’ll love most of these tracks.
Lyrically nothing stood out to me, but, if you listen carefully.
Nearly every song seems to have a chorus or verse that nods to Travis.
This is more obvious in the chorus of “Can a Drummer Get Some?” where the chorus is literally “Can a drummer get some?” repeated over and over.
But again, this doesn’t come across as vain or arrogant.
If RZA is complimenting you in a rap, chances are it’s because you deserve it.
If you like this album, you may also like: music by RZA, Raekwon or Lupe Fiasco.
I also recommend you check out early Blink-182 stuff as well as The Aquabats, just to hear more Travis Barker.
Richard Solomon can be reached at richard.solomon@spartans.ut.edu.
BTW nice trench coat in the profile pic. haha
This is a great album, but you have no credibility in writing this article. If you don’t like rap then you should not be writing a review on a rap album. When you said that you have Fort Minor on your iPod, that is a joke. He is a no hit wonder so that negates your credibility. Don’t even get me started with the statement that too many big names on an album could be a bad thing. Showing your lack of knowledge in the rap game, you failed to tell the reader that the song “Devil’s Got a Hold of me” features Slaughterhouse, the top group in the game right now, consisting of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce da 5’9″. Also, how can a repeated hook by one of the best rappers of all time come across as vain or arrogant? Totally lost on this one. Basically, what I am saying is that you should not write about something that you have no clue about. It makes you look like a moron and gives you no credibility.