Pitbull Recruits Robin Thicke, Travis Barker for ‘Bad Man’ at Grammys

Pitbull united with Robin Thicke, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry for a performance of the rapper’s new single, the stadium-sized rocker “Bad Man,” at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Pitbull opened with “El Taxi,” a single from his 2015 LP, Dale, and brought out actress Sofia Vergara for a dancing cameo. “Bad Man” found Barker drumming on top of a neon-lit stairway, with Perry tossing electric guitar fills and Thicke handling vocals on the chorus.

The rapper released “Bad Man” Sunday night on YouTube and teased the Grammy performance, tweeting, “Celebrate #ValentinesDay with a #Badman @robinthicke @Travisbarker @joeperry @thegrammys,” linking a photo of the four musicians. 

Pitbull received his first Grammy win this year, with Dale tying with Natalia Lafourcade’s Hasta la Raíz for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. He has received four previous Latin Grammy nominations, along with a 2013 win for Best Urban Performance.  

The rapper teamed with Carlos Santana for a performance at the 2014 Latin Grammys. “He’s someone who just puts out this amazing aura of positive energy,” Pitbull told Rolling Stone. “You can feel it. And he makes the guitar rap! The way it flows on the beat – he don’t have to say one word, but everyone understands. That alone goes to show you how powerful that man is.”