Sometime around the mid 90’s, a group of young kids decided something was missing in music. It needed fun. It needed a broader range of style. It needed heroes. That’s where they stepped in. These youngsters would go on to become The Gym Class Heroes. Together, with a rapper and a rock band, they were dead set on creating what they felt was beautiful music the game had been missing.

Yes, we said a rapper and a rock band. You’ve heard this before, right? Wrong. They didn’t want to sound like anyone else and they definitely didn’t do it all for the nookie. Listen to GCH once and you know: they ain’t Limp Bizkit.

“I think anybody who knows Gym Class knows we are the furthest thing from that,” Travis McCoy, (the emcee) says with  conviction. “I mean, before, it was a concern [to be compared to rap/rock bands] but now it’s just like I could care less. People who actually listen to us will definitely know that we’re nothing like that. But ‘rap/rock’? Even those two words put together make my stomach turn,” he adds with a laugh.

The comparisons stop. It’s actually quite clear upon a few listens that this man knows what he’s doing behind the mic. With introspectively compelling story telling to coincide with intricate rhyme patterns and wit, the New York based emcee knows what to do with a pen. His voice, one that speaks out on everything from gay bashing to cupid, can go from emotional to hilarious from track to track. His multifaceted persona matches the eclectic mix of musicians that make up GCH’s core.

“Growing up, I was put onto a lot of different music. My Dad was a bass player and he was listening to all types of stuff and I used to like Guns N Roses, you know what I’m saying? And my Mom was really into all types of soul and Sade and stuff like that. So, I just got to see a huge broad spectrum of music,” he says of his upbringing. “But as far as the Gym Class Heroes sound, we all listen to all different types of music.”

Eventually, McCoy’s love for that “broad spectrum of music” allowed him to become an avid fan of Hip-Hop.

 
“Slick Rick, he was my shit. Kool G. Rap...But the one who really hit the nail in the head was Jeru. When Jeru dropped The Sun Rises in the East, it was a wrap for me. I loved that,” he says of his Hip-Hop influences.

And much like some of his influences, he’s tackled subjects by using storytelling techniques to deliver powerful messages. In 2004’s Faces in the Hall, McCoy addressed High School bullying, gay bashing, along with teenage drinking/drug use, and the difficulties of growing up in a single parent household. All in one song. Who does that? The same man who goes on to flip the script and lace the album with humorous punch lines. Example: “It feels like a midget is chillin’ in my boxers.” It’s not all serious and it’s not all a joke. But it’s all them.

That’s their deal. They aren’t trying to be Rage Against the Machine. They aren’t trying to be Linkin Park. They aren’t trying to anything other than Gym Class. Why change that? After all, the group has recently linked up with Decaydance, a label backed by the huge success of rockers Fall Out Boy. Their new album   has been backed by several artists from rock chart toppers to Papoose, whose worked with GCH on a remix to their newest single New Friend Request.

More emcees may land on Gym Class’ future projects. When asked about who he’d like to collab with, he shoots out a very diverse group of emcees. Note the diversity.

“Right now, honestly: I‘m feelin’ Young Jeezy. I think Young Jeezy‘s the shit. He takes everything seriously. This is a dude who takes his ad-libs seriously. It‘s crazy! I‘ve been feelin’ Cee-Lo since the first OutKast record when he dropped the ‘Get Up, Get Out’ verse. He just impresses me non-stop every time he puts something out. Murs, he‘s the shit,” he says of his current favorites. With the success Gym Class is receiveing those emcees may end up on future LP’s.

But this isn’t his first time he’s getting some shine. And though we previously mentioned how ill he is with writtens, it’s important to note that he’s ready to battle, too. And he’s been battle tested on national television. After defeating competitors to win the freestyle crown on MTV’s Direct Effect, before Gym Class truly took off, he received a cameo in Styles P’s clip for “Daddy Get That Cash.” But he didn’t want to be just another freestyle champ. So, he used that small success to catapult his own group’s triumphant rise.

After releasing a couple of indie albums, the crew copped slots opening up for Hip-Hop heavyweights like Fat Joe, Mobb Deep, Cam’Ron, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, Run DMC and more. They used that platform in order to showcase their live act to more people than ever before.  Continued on page 2 »