Rightly recognized as true pioneers of live hip-hop, the Geneva, NY-based band Gym Class Heroes has won popular and critical acclaim for kicking out genre-busting jams that seamlessly meld rap, rock, R&B, and anything else that happens to strike the musically voracious outfit’s fancy. Frontman Travis McCoy states “The whole fun element of hip-hop has disappeared. Everybody takes themselves so seriously, it’s become a fashion show more or less. We want the vibe to be as fun as possible.”
Breaking musical boundaries and changing perceptions of what hip-hop or indie or rock can be, with Gym Class Heroes, what you see isn’t always what you get. Though the overall feel of their album ‘As Cruel As School Children’ is bright and breezy, McCoy’s personal, playful lyrics can often be peeled back to reveal hidden layers of emotion and introspection, notably on songs such as the first single, The Queen and I.
“It’s a personal song,” Travis says, “about girls who fancy alcoholic beverages, girls who like to have too much of a good time. I have weird underlying issues with females and alcohol. This song is kind of like closure, though you’d never get that vibe listening to the song. It’s fun to do things like that, make music that’s fun with a really poppy vibe, but when you listen to the lyrics, it’s like, ‘Holy shit, that dude just said…’ If you’re not paying attention, you think it’s just another radio ditty that sticks in your head, but then when you really listen you see it’s a whole lot more.”