Travie McCoy
Introducing Travie, (formerly known as Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes.) He's goin' solo!
July 8, 2010, 3:49 p.m.
You may recognize this familiar face as the front-man of the popular alternative rock/rap group Gym Class Heroes, but Travis McCoy has a brand new solo project. Travis, also sometimes called “Travie” by close family and friends, made his MTV debut in the summer of 2002, as he appeared in an MC Battle that was held on the MTV show, Direct Effect. In actuality, his music career first took roots in a high school gym class, when he and childhood friend Matt McGinley (Gym Class Heroes drummer) decided to start a band and name it after their favorite class in school.
As a member of Gym Class Heroes, Travie enjoyed great success with the band's first single "Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast In America" rising to the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, with two other singles, "Cookie Jar," and "Clothes Off!!," from the band receiving extensive airplay and reaching the upper half of the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks. Signed to Fall Out Boy's lead singer Pete Wentz's label, Gym Class Heroes topped off a stellar 2007 winning two MTV Video Music Awards - one for Best New Artist and one for Best Group.
Travie's solo album Lazarus, debuted in June 2010 at number 25 on the Billboard 200. The album received great praise from several industry professionals including a 3 1/2 star rating from Spin magazine's Mikael Wood and Billboard's Melanie Bertoldi remarking, "its snappy wordplay and deep introspection will appeal to a wide demographic of music lovers." Lazarus has already spawned one hit single, "Billionaire," featuring Bruno Mars. So far the song has reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Pop and Billboard Digital charts.
McCoy's summer plans changed abruptly when rap diva Nicki Minaj pulled out as the opener for Rihanna and Ke$ha's summer tour to finish her solo album. Travie immediately filled her spot, and kicked off the tour on July 2 in Auburn, Washington. He'll make about 30 stops all over the United States and Canada throughout the summer with the two lyrical seamstresses.
So, does Travie's solo career mean the end for Gym Class Heroes? Apparently not. He recently told MTV, "this solo effort is just one of the many side projects I tinker with while still being a part of the Gym Class Heroes," and that, "since the beginning of Gym Class Heroes, we've all kind of had side projects. This is just an extension of that." Well, one thing is for certain. We can expect interesting and introspective tunes from Travie in the future, no matter which path he chooses. Check out the brand-new music video here for Travie's new single, "The Manual," featuring T-Pain and Young Cash.