An alternative hip hop band from Geneva, New York, Gym Class Heroes was formed in 1997, when MC Travis McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley made friends in gym class and decided to form a band.  Guitarist Milo Bonacci and bassist Ryan Giese completed the roster, and they found gigs at birthday parties, festivals, and clubs.  

Gym Class Heroes

I don’t agree with any label anybody puts on us for the simple fact that they’re all wrong and they’re all bulls**t because until we come up with a label for ourselves, nobody else can because we make the . . . music. We make the music.

Getting Started

An alternative hip hop band from Geneva, New York, Gym Class Heroes was formed in 1997, when MC Travis McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley made friends in gym class and decided to form a band.  Guitarist Milo Bonacci and bassist Ryan Giese completed the roster, and they found gigs at birthday parties, festivals, and clubs.  

In 2001, they released their first album,  . . . For the Kids; they recorded it independently and promoted it themselves.  Their original music and aggressive self promotion led them to larger and larger venues, eventually gaining them a recording contract with Fuled by Ramen and an invitation to perform in the 2003 Warped Tour; they would return to the tour again in 2004 and again in 2006.

Climbing to the Top

Papercut Chronicles was their second album, released in 2004.  Their single, Taxi Driver, became popular by virtue of its novelty.  The song pays tribute to rock bands admired by Gym Class Heroes.  It was this song that appealed to Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, when it appeared on their EP, released the year before.  Stump invited them to tour with Fall Out Boy, and is featured in the single, Cupid's Chokehold, which hit #3 on the Billboard Pop 100.  The single also spent multiple weeks in the Top Ten in digital sales, for mp3 and ringtone downloads.

In 2006, Gym Class Heroes released As Cruel as School Children.  The album was more reaching than their first two, with some elements of soul, funk, and electronica.  This is possibly one factor, in addition to their increasing fan base from their live performances, that this album grabbed more notice from the public.  Peaking at #8 on the Hot Rap chart, it certified gold in sales.  

Here and now

In addition to their tour with Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes performed part of All-American Rejects' Tour until November, 2007.  They then embarked on their own tour, entited The Daryl Hall for President Tour.  Other acts  traveling with them include Rx Bandits and P.O.S.

They released an album in 2008, entitled The Quilt.  Half of this album is produced by Patrick Stump, and the other half is produced by a number of different artists, including Cool & Dre, Tricky Stewart, and Allstar.  Though the song was not released, Home was featured on the video game, Madden NFL 09.

Did you know . . .

1. The single, Taxi Driver, mentions twenty-seven bands, including Kiss, My Chemical Romance, and Thrice.

2. In 2007, Gym Class Heroes won two MTV Music Awards, and one MTV European Music Award,  for Best Group, Best New Artist, and Ultimate Urban.

3. Rapper Busta Rhymes appears on Gym Class Heroes' single, Peace Sign/Index Down.

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