Gym Class Heroes Fought for Alternative Music and Paved the Way for A New Sound.

The Gym Class Heroes broke the sound years before and haven’t received enough credit for it.

Rap has memorable years like 1994 and 1998. But what came out of that time period from 2005 to 2009 was a rise in rap and rock-infused music. B.O.B., Kid Cudi, and groups like the Gym Class Heroes popularized the sound. Gym Class Heroes’ music drew from the sounds of groups like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Blink-182. Drawing on the rock influence, they fused it with the sound of groups like Fall Out Boy to help the culture advance. Travie McCoy spoke about the group’s impact in a 2011 interview with the Chicago Tribune, saying, “I feel Gym Class Heroes was part of the forefront of the genre”. Today, no one acknowledges what the group accompplished by fusing all of these genres together. Their approach paved the way for other rappers to come like Travis Scott, Post Malone, Lil’ Uzi Vert, the late Juice WRLD, and XXXtentacion.

Era

Travie McCoy formed the Gym Class Heroes in 1997, along with drummer Matt McGinley, Eric Roberts and Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo. The group worked hard for a few years, sending demos out to various labels, but their unique sound made them a hard sale. Often labels passed on them…