Barker continued releasing hip-hop remixes in 2008; a well-received remix of Flo Rida's "Low" followed the "Crank That" rendition. The videos of Barker playing the revamped tracks grew heavily in popularity on YouTube. Barker hoped to collate his growing arsenal of remixes with a bunch of new tracks on which he was working. It began to germinate into the idea of making a solo album, producing it all himself. As 2008 wore on, it became evident that the project would supersede +44 for the immediate future, though the band would return, by all accounts, once everything was in place for the solo record. Guests who recorded with Barker included Young Dro, E-40, Willie Nelson, and Damian Marley. He began performing with DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) in June 2008 in a collaboration called TRV$DJAM. Essentially, DJ AM would mix a set of classic songs (which ranged from classic rock to dance) live with two turntables, then Barker would "enhance AM's groove" with live drums. The duo performed at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7. "Our little duo of drummer and DJ reached heights we never thought were possible," said Barker in a 2011 interview.