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Travie Doesn't Want to Collaborate with Katy Perry
Despite Katy Perry topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy doesn't plan to collaborate with his girlfriend.
Perry's I Kissed A Girl was number one in the UK for five weeks while the track - the 1,000th number one of the rock era in the US - held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.
And with Gym Class Heroes' single Cookie Jar likely to dent the UK top ten this week, a collaboration between Perry and her boyfriend McCoy would seem a sensible decision.
But according to drummer Matt McGinley, the One of the Boys singer won't be joining the ranks of Gym Class Heroes collaborators - which includes Estelle, Kelly Rowland, Busta Rhymes and Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.
"More than it's my decision, I know it's something that Travis has said will never, ever happen!" he told inthenews.co.uk.
"It's not even a plausible option, he just won't do it."
Gym Class Heroes' new album The Quilt, featuring hit single Cookie Jar, is out now.
By InTheNews.co.uk
Gym Class Heroes Debut In The Top 20
LL Cool J’s Exit 13 has debuted at the No. 9 spot on Billboard’s Top 200, leading the pack of this week’s debuts, which also includes discs by Gym Class Heroes and Kardinal Offishal.
According to the Nielsen’s SoundScan, the rapper-turned-actor sold over 43,000 albums of his alleged final Def Jam release. Following up his certified gold disc Todd Smith, LL recently spoke with SOHH about 50 Cent’s influence on the project.
50 “got me amped up and you know once I get a battery in my back I go crazy,” he said.
His newest release offers a star studded line-up, including 50, The Dream, Lil’ Mo, Wyclef Jean and more.
Led by the band’s extravagant lead singer, Travis McCoy, Gym Class Heroes’ The Quilt debuted at No. 14 selling just over 32,000 units. The New York-based group recently had their music featured on the new Madden NFL ’09 video game.
Kardinal quietly landed in this week at No. 40 with Not 4 Sale. Despite his record smash hit “Dangerous,” which features Akon, the rapper only sold below 12,000 copies.
Check back tomorrow for the full SoundScan rundown on SOHH’s Charts Column, “The Sales Wrap.”
By Cyrus Langhorne, Sohh.com
Travie Claims Gym Class Heroes Aren't A Solo Project
These are not the Gym Class Heroes you've grown to love (or hate), that much is for certain. These are not the same unassuming guys from the middle of New York state, the ones who brought you slightly goofy hits like "Cupid's Chokehold" or "Clothes Off!," who genre-hopped with reckless abandon, and who were one of the scene's best-kept secrets.
The Gym Class Heroes of 2008 are now a fairly big deal — the kind of act whose albums are events and who are expected to "shift units," as they say. They have a famous frontman with an even more famous girlfriend, famous friends with famous wives and famous guest stars on their record. They are, for all intents and purposes, a completely different band ... and they are aware of this.
"People's first introduction to us was 'Cupid's Chokehold' or 'Clothes Off!' ... and a lot of people don't go past what they're offered on radio or on television, so they take it at face value and stamp you a certain way, and I feel like people didn't care to take the time to dig deeper," sighed MC Travis McCoy — he's the one dating Katy Perry, btw. "And I wasn't offended by it or anything, but it gets a little annoying when people walk up behind you and sing, 'Ba-da-da-da!' [the incessant hook from 'Cupid's Chokehold']. People go, 'Oh, that's the "Ba-da-da-da" guy!' and I'm like, 'Man, I put so much time into this record to be the "Ba-da-da-da" guy?'
"And so I think with this record, I made a conscious effort on my behalf to go at it extra hard, lyrically, to showcase that I am a wordsmith, and I've studied the masters," he continued, laughing slightly. "And just the response we've gotten from some of the songs on the record, or just walking down the street, dudes are like, 'Yo, dude can spit! I saw you in the booth on "Rap City." ' And I'm like, 'I've been doing it for a while now, man. It's nothing new.' "
What is new about GCH — aside from their funky, shape-shifting album The Quilt, which hit stores Tuesday — is the amount of attention McCoy's personal life has been getting lately and how that has affected people's perception of the band. He makes no attempt to hide his relationship with pop princess Katy Perry and, frankly, doesn't see any reason why he should. Whether that openness has been a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
"This is the first time I've been super head-over-heels about someone since the third grade and almost in the sense where there's this urge in me to pull a Tom Cruise and jump on Oprah's couch," he laughed. "It's something that I can't escape. The questions always come up, and I'm never one to be a di-- and be like, 'I don't want to talk about that.' But it's inevitable. People want to know everything and anything they can about you when you're in the spotlight. And even with my music, I don't hide too much. So in that, and in interviews, I try to stay honest. With any record — it's the same with books: People are going to walk away from it with a different perspective than anyone else. It's a choose-your-own-adventure thing."
The trouble is, many reviewers have chosen to view the songs on The Quilt through the prism of his public persona. So with each mention of infidelity, each instance of self-doubt, each ode to illicit substances, they think they're gaining intimate knowledge of McCoy and Perry's relationship ... and what they see isn't pretty.
"I've gotten a lot of flak in interviews like, 'You know, you're talking about cheating, but you're with Katy right now.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, but the song was written before.' And not only that, but like, if I can deal with her singing about kissing girls all day, she can deal with me singing about eating cookies for a little while," he smiled. "At the end of the day, people are going to take what they want from the record. It's like back when I was in art school, after we were done with our paintings, we'd have to put them up and critique ourselves, like, 'Oh, this is what I was feeling when I did this, and this color represents this,' and I was always like, 'I'd much rather put this up here and have you tell me what you get from it, because I had a lot of fun doing it, and I'm not going to sit here and bullsh-- you and tell you there's all these hidden agendas behind it.' And that's the same way I approach records."
And while McCoy doesn't feel the need to explain GCH's music, the fact that he's the one doing most of the talking in the interview — guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, bassist Eric Roberts and drummer Matt McGinley are seated next to him — brings us to the other thing that's different about Gym Class these days: the very common misconception that the band is just McCoy's solo project. And while some of that seems to be true — after all, The Quilt contains the most overtly hip-hop stuff the band has ever done — McCoy just laughs it off. It's up to the listener to decide, he said. And this time, his bandmates are there to agree with him.
"I think people outside of our circle are more concerned with this becoming 'The Travis Show.' Honestly, I would be nothing without these three guys. Nothing. And granted, we all have our side projects and whatnot, but Gym Class Heroes is and always will be the priority," McCoy said. "People are always asking me: 'When's the solo album coming out?' But we're a unit. Always have been and always will be. I've read a lot about this record, and people keep going, 'This is all Travis,' but in the same sense that everyone thinks Fall Out Boy is all Pete — wrong. Those guys are a unit just as much as we are, you know?"
"I'm not going to lie. Sometimes it is [frustrating], but I think it's natural for people to gravitate to one member of the band and single them out, but that's on them, that's on the media, that's on other people," McGinley added. "Within the internal workings of the group, everybody has their own important unique place, and without that we'd be selling drugs."
"Thank you," McCoy laughed. "I'm so glad you feel that way."
By James Montgomery, MTV.com
Gym Class Heroes Go on Tour in Support of "The Quilt"
Alt hip-hop quartet Gym Class Heroes are celebrating the release of album No. 4, The Quilt, with a U.K. tour and a North American co-headlining trek with The Roots.
First up is a run through the U.K. and Ireland that kicks off September 13, with stops in Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Leeds, London, Birmingham, Oxford, Bristol and Portsmouth.
The band's swing through the U.S. and Canada with The Roots launches October 3 at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, finishing up November 11 at Armory Center in Albany, N.Y.
Other destinations in Gym Class Heroes' traveling plans include NorVa in Norfolk, Va. (October 4), Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater in Florida (October 8), The Backyard in Austin (October 12), Grove of Anaheim in California (October 16), Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee (October 23), Roseland Ballroom in New York City (October 28) and Convention Hall in Asbury Park, N.J. (October 31). Joining the pair for the trek is up-and-coming British R&B singer Estelle.
Tickets for most shows are available at Ticketmaster.com, with the rest going on sale in the coming days.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales for the tour will be donated to The Boys & Girls Club of Geneva (N.Y., the band's hometown) and The Triple Threat Foundation.
Quilt, which was released September 9, was recorded with help from a number of producers, including The-Dream, Cool & Dre (Yung Joc, Young Jeezy, The Game) and Gym Class Heroes' longtime friend and collaborator, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy.
The album also includes guest appearances by The-Dream, Busta Rhymes, Estelle and Daryl Hall.
To help build buzz for the disc, the band will make appearances in the coming weeks on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," MTV's "TRL" and "Mi TRL" on the MTV Tr3s network, as well as on BET's "Rap City."
By Pollstar
The Quilt is in stores now!!
You can find it for only $9.99 at Target or get it along with any GCH t-shirt for only $20 at Hot Topic. Want the album now? Download the iTunes Deluxe Bundle for $12.99 and you'll receive: remixes of Cookie Jar and Blinded By The Sun and videos for Peace Sign / Index Down and Cookie Jar!
New Gym Class Heroes' Album "The Quilt" Coming Out Tomorrow
Head over to MTV's The Leak to listen to the new album in its entirety!
Interview with Disashi from Gym Class Heroes
Do you have any pre-show rituals you like to do?
Disashi: Yeh. Basically, we all put our hands in a circle. Travis screams, "First thrust!" then we yell, "Balls deep!" two times, and then we count 1-2-3 and yell "Jerry's!" at the top of our lungs.
Craziest thing you've ever had happen while you were playing a show?
Disashi: We've always had a lot of girls come up on stage during clothes off, but that's kind of expected. Recently our hype-guy has been stage-diving every single day during "Cupid's Chokehold", which is kind of cool. I know there's definitely better stuff than that, I just can't think of it right now.
Have you seen The Dark Knight?
Disashi: No, I haven't. My friend saw it, but the theatre basically had no good sound system. So, everyone was really pissed off.
Yeh, I saw the first five minutes of it with barely any sound at a drive-in.
Disashi: Sucks, dude. You're missing half of the experience, know what I mean?
Absolutely. So, favorite word that starts with a "q"?
Disashi: Uhm...Quixote.
What are some on the road activities you guys do when you're bored?
Disashi: I just play music. I'm a nerd. Either I make music, or recently it's been Grand Theft Auto 4. Just wasting my life killing fake people.
How far in are you?
Disashi: I don't know. I haven't done any of the missions at all. The other dude's do the missions, and I just sort of...slaughter random civilians.
What do you think of the band Dr. Manhatten? Their on the tour.
Disashi: I haven't caught them at all. I'm out of the loop man. I'm out of the fuckin' loop.
What is the wind-velocity of an unladen swallow?
Disashi: Uhm, 35km per second.
Catch the reference there?
Disashi: ...no?
Monty Python.
Disashi: OH! That's really funny. I was like "I don't know!" for a second.
Last question: Why?!
Disashi: Because I can.
By by Matt Keith, Mammothpress.com
Gym Class Heroes to Perform at the Caling Academy
Gym Class Heroes will perform at the Carling Academy in Bristol in support of their forthcoming album "The Quilt".
The band has just completed the Vans Warped Tour around USA and will be performing at the venue in Frogmore Street on September 21th, 2008.
The show begins at 7pm. You can purchase tickets from the box office on 08444 77 2000.
Gym Class Heroes Story
Pop success. Tabloid romance. Schoolyard squabbles. Blunt-clouded bus rides. From the Las Vegas desert to a Warped Salt Lake City, Matt Diehl charts the raucous rise of emo-rap sensations Gym Class Heroes.
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas are in notably short supply during Gym Class Heroes' show in late June at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "I've had problems with pharmaceuticals for ten years, and I stand in front of you four and a half months sober, and I feel good as fuck!" exclaims frontman Travis McCoy to the roaring crowd. "You deserve a couple more albums from me before I kick the bucket. There's a high I get standing in front of you I can't get from any pill!"
It's a refreshing revelation, since McCoy thanked himself "for putting up with me for the last 24 years" in the liner notes to Gym Class Heroes' 2006 album, As Cruel as School Children. And although he's known for mining his demons for rhymes, McCoy introduces last year's hit single "Clothes Off!!" by asking: "Who wants to get naked?" The first four rows, composed solely of young girls in Forever 21 finery, give him an answer when a massive black bra hurtles stageward. "This is some weaponry right here!" he marvels.
This combination of raw confession, nostalgic sentimentality, and unbridled hedonism has been the trademark of a group built on unlikely elements -- a white rhythm section, an African immigrant guitarist, and a biracial MC (McCoy's mom is Irish and Native American, his father Haitian). "We're the 'We Are the World' of bands," McCoy says, lighting up outside the tour bus after the show. "We need an Asian violinist; then we'll be good." Gym Class Heroes' sound is equally polyglot, inspired by indie hip-hop (El-P, Aesop Rock, Murs), East Coast hardcore/emo (Snapcase, De La Hoya), and '80s R&B (too many names to mention). "I was this big black kid smoking cigarettes, but I was just as into Earth Crisis as the straight-edge white kids," McCoy recalls. "It blew their minds."
This month, Gym Class will release their fourth album, The Quilt (on Pete Wentz's Decaydance label via Fueled by Ramen and Atlantic), their first since the single "Cupid's Chokehold" became an international smash. "They're the little band that could -- Fall Out Boy never even had a No. 1 single," says FOB frontman Patrick Stump, who has produced much of Gym Class' recorded output, and sang on "Cupid," which featured the naggingly catchy hook "Take a look at my girlfriend / She's the only one I got" (from Supertramp's classic-rock mainstay "Breakfast in America"). The spotlight is even brighter on the group, thanks to McCoy's increasingly serious relationship with pop starlet Katy Perry, whose "I Kissed a Girl" topped the charts as their romance became tabloid fodder.
But Gym Class aren't taking commercial success for granted. For The Quilt, they've lined up cameos from Busta Rhymes, hot U.K. R&B upstart Estelle, and Daryl Hall of pop-soul machine Hall & Oates. Plus, the album's primary producers, along with Stump, are urban hitmaker The-Dream (Rihanna's "Umbrella") and Miami-based beatsmiths Cool & Dre (the Game's "Hate It or Love It"). "[Gym Class] are where music is," says Dre. "A lot of artists don't fit a particular lane. Music had gotten so wack -- either you were pop or a rapper or a rock band. Now everything's merging. This period is creating future legends who don't fit: Kanye, Lil Wayne, Gym Class Heroes. And that's the secret to their success."
Still, the four Gym Class boys have to hustle. On the day of the Vegas gig, they rush from an acoustic performance for radio-contest winners to a photo shoot, although McCoy blew out his knee onstage the night before -- he's already had six surgeries, and will probably need another. But nothing slows him down. He limps with a noticeable swagger, flamboyantly waving his cane, semi-ironically mimicking the rap stars who are now his peers.
"This is pimpin' like a motherfucker!" he shouts.
Read the entire Gym Class Heroes story in the September issue of SPIN, on newsstands now.
By Matt Diehl, Spin.com
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