Gym Class Heroes
Jun 18, 2012
Gym Class Heroes has been able to combine a wide variety of influences, including hip hop, rock, funk, and reggae. After the addition of guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo and bassist Eric Roberts in 2003, the group was signed to Fueled by Ramen and Decaydance Records (Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's independent record label), on which they released their debut album, The Papercut Chronicles. The group gained a strong fan base while promoting the album, appearing at festivals such as The Bamboozle and Warped Tour. In 2006, the group released the gold-selling album As Cruel as School Children. Since that release, the band's single "Cupid's Chokehold" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Clothes Off!!" peaked at #5 in the United Kingdom. In 2008, Gym Class Heroes released their third album, The Quilt, which contained numerous collaborations with other artists. The band went on hiatus in 2009, a time in which the members pursued various side projects. McCoy released his solo debut album Lazarus in 2010. Lumumba-Kasongo has been working on his side-project Soul, while McGinley now drums in the rock group Kill the Frontman. In 2011, they released The Papercut Chronicles II and the first single from it was "Stereo Hearts" which features Adam Levine. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The third single "The Fighter" which features Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic was released on May 24th. In the video, Gym Class Heroes document the journey 19-year-old gymnast John Orozco takes as he trains for the upcoming Olympic Games. Along with their pal Ryan Tedder, the band takes the stage to perform in a giant gymnasium. In between shots of the band tearing it up, there is footage of John working out hard: running, sweating and doing all kinds of flips and twirls on the parallel bars.