Melding elements of rap, rock, R&B, and funk into one cohesive and
melodic sound, upstate New York's Gym Class Heroes have diverse appeal
based on their impressive musical dexterity. Often touring with indie
rock and pop-punk bands, they don't fit comfortably into one specific
genre; the quartet's music is rooted in traditional hip-hop, but
features live instruments instead of looped samples or beats. Lyrics
are often socially conscious, but also incorporate humor and wry
perceptiveness. The band's roots date to 1997 in Geneva, NY, when MC
Travis "Schleprok" McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley became friends
during high-school gym class. Wanting to create a new palette for
hip-hop, the duo worked with other musicians before Gym Class Heroes
were officially born in 2001 with the addition of guitarist Milo Bonacci and bassist Ryan Giese. The guys self-released For the Kids that same year.
Touring nonstop, they recorded The Papercut Chronicles in 2003, which caught the attention of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz
before it was even finished. The Heroes were officially signed to his
Fueled by Ramen imprint, Decaydance, by September 2004, at which point Bonacci
was replaced by guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo. The four-song teaser
The Papercut EP preceded the eventual February 2005 release of The Papercut Chronicles, with Eric Roberts replacing Giese on bass. The quartet hit the road hard, spending spring on dates with Midtown, Fall Out Boy,
and the Academy Is..., along with hitting the year's SXSW, Bamboozle,
and Warped Tour festivals. They also spent part of the summer opening
for ska-punks Streetlight Manifesto. A Red Hot Chili Peppers cover song was donated to Fearless' Punk Goes '90s compilation before their follow-up was issued in July 2006.
As Cruel as School Children was produced by SAM (Method Man, the Sounds) and Sluggo (aka session bassist Dave Katz) and co-produced by Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump. The album included various guest appearances, including the Academy Is...'s William Beckett and Arrested Development's Speech.
They spent that summer supporting the record on the Warped Tour. Gym
Class Heroes' profile notably increased at the year's end with the
release of the single Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast in America, which hit
number four on Billboard's Hot 100 and remained in constant rotation on
radio and MTV during the spring of 2007. After headlining a seven-week
U.S. tour called the Daryl Hall for President Tour '07, the group
returned to the studio to record The Quilt in 2008, which included guest appearances by Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, and Daryl Hall himself. Corey Apar, All Music Guide
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