This Summer, Rhino will release vinyl versions of all four studio albums Gym Class Heroes, recorded between 2005 and 2011, plus McCoy’s solo debut, Lazarus. As Cruel as School Children (2006), Lazarus (2010), and The Papercut Chronicles II (2011) will be available as single LPs. The Papercut Chronicles (2005) and The Quilt (2008) will be released as double LPs.
Gym Class Heroes teamed with guest vocalists for two multi-platinum Top 10 hits – “Cupid’s Chokehold” with Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy and “Stereo Hearts” with Adam Levine of Maroon 5 – the latter of which recently surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. The formula worked again when Gym Class Heroes’ frontman Travie McCoy scored a multi-platinum hit with “Billionaire,” a song from his solo debut featuring Bruno Mars.
In celebration of ATL 75 – Atlantic Record’s campaign for 75 years of innovative releases – a new Club Mix of “Cupid’s Chokehold” by DJ Sliink is out today. Newark native DJ Sliink pioneered the Jersey Club style of EDM. Notably, Skrillex called him “essential to the future of pop music.”
Long-time friends Travie McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) and DJ Sliink have been waiting to collaborate and recently teamed up to re-release the classic “Cupids Chokehold” fresh for 2023. Pop meets club, music meets dance – two eras combining for a powerful performance. Tapping into the nostalgia wave, it’s a re-release of the classic anthem. Sliink flipped “Cupids Chokehold” and added his signature Jersey Club production to the classic that is ready to hit a new generation.
Gym Class Heroes paid its dues in the 90s, playing college parties and clubs across the East Coast. The band was already self-releasing its music in 2003 when it was invited to join the Vans Warped Tour for the first time. It was a good fit, and the band would eventually play the popular music festival four times throughout its career.
Gym Class Heroes released the band’s second studio album, The Papercut Chronicles, in 2005. It contains the original version of “Cupid’s Chokehold,” a song with samples from Supertramp’s “Breakfast In America” and guest vocals by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. (The Papercut Chronicles will make its vinyl debut with the upcoming release.)
Gym Class Heroes re-recorded “Cupid’s Chokehold” for its next album, 2006’s As Cruel as School Children. That version became the band’s first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2007. It was on the charts for months, certified triple platinum, and was one of the most-played songs on the radio in 2007.
Following that success, Gym Class Heroes returned in 2008 with The Quilt. The record is packed with great tracks and guest artists, including Estelle, The-Dream, and Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates. Legendary rapper Busta Rhymes appeared on the album’s first single, “Peace Sign/Index Down.”
McCoy briefly stepped away from the band to release his 2010 solo debut, Lazarus. The album was a hit, peaking at #25 and earning gold certification. It includes the hit single “Billionaire” with guest vocalist Bruno Mars. The track peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified quadruple platinum. (Lazarus will make its vinyl debut with the upcoming release.)
Gym Class Heroes regrouped in 2011 for The Papercut Chronicles II, the band’s fifth and most recent studio album. It features their biggest hit, “Stereo Hearts,” with vocals by Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified quintuple platinum in the U.S. and platinum or better in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. The Papercut Chronicles II will make its vinyl debut with the upcoming release.
Color variants of each release will be available this summer as retail exclusives. The Papercut Chronicles (emerald), As Cruel As School Children (silver), The Quilt (grape), The Papercut Chronicles II (cobalt), and Lazarus (tangerine).
Something is brewing this year for Gym Class Heroes. The band will back on stage for the first time since 2018 on When We Were Young Fest.
“I couldn’t be more ecstatic for this next chapter in the book of Gym Class Heroes. If you’ve missed us as much as we’ve missed you, you’re in for a good read, quiet in the library but wild the fuck out in Gym Class” – Travie McCoy.
Dj Sliink took the reins as Jersey Club’s fist global star by leading a musical movement. Named by his peers as “The Jersey Club King”, he has spread the genre from humble beginnings in Newark, New Jersey’s DIY party spaces to intrnational culture hotspots like London, Paris, Milan, and Japan, with mainstream attention from Pitchfork, Billboard, SPIN, Fader ——After shooting to post-EDM stardom with a collaborative EP n Fool’s Gold with Flosstradamus, soundtracking Paris runways for Alexander Wang and Rick Owens, playing festivals around the globe, Skrillex sought out Sliink’s diverse club sound and sgned him to his OWSLA imprint and worked with him to highlight the culture of Jersey Club and to help bridge the sound into the mainstream. Skrillex is quoted as saying,” Dj Sliink soud is essential to the future of pop music.”… Named Billboard 2020 Change Agents for Acts Of Change. Sliink continues to push for equality and diversity in Dance Music and beyond. In 202, Sliink released collaborations with Doja Cat & Marshmello and launched his weekly radio show #GlobalCultureRadio on SiriusXM/Diplo’s Revolution. Dj Sliink continues to lace the internet anddancefloors (when open) with his ever-evolving definitive sound blending Club Music, House, and emerging Global Sounds. Newly signed to Warner Records, Dj Sliink is slotted to release an EP in May 2023.
THE PAPERCUT CHRONICLES
2-LP Track Listing
Side A
1. “Za Intro”
2. “Papercuts”
3. “Petrified Life And The Twice Told Joke (Decrepit Bricks)”
4. “Make Out Club”
5. “Taxi Driver”
Side B
1. “So Long Friend”
2. “Everyday’s Forecast”
3. “Pillmatic”
4. “Simple Livin’”
Side C
1. “Cupid’s Chokehold” – featuring Patrick Stump
2. “Faces In The Hall”
3. “Graduation Day”
4. “Apollo 3-1-5”
5. “Wejusfreestylin’ Pt. 2”
Side D
1. “To Bob Ross With Love”
2. “Papercuts (The Reason for the Lesions Remix by Mr. Dibbs)”
3. “Kid Nothing vs. The Echo Factor”
4. “Band Aids”
AS CRUEL AS SCHOOL CHILDREN
Track Listing
Side A
1. “The Queen and I”
2. “Shoot Down The Stars”
3. “New Friend Request”
4. “Clothes Off!!” – featuring Patrick Stump
5. “Sloppy Love Jingle, Pt. 1”
6. “Viva la White Girl”
7. “7 Weeks” – featuring William Beckett
Side B
1. “It’s Ok, But Just This Once!”
2. “Sloppy Love Jingle, Pt. 2”
3. “Biters Block”
4. “Boys In Bands Interlude”
5. “Scandalous Scholastics”
6. “On My Own Time (Write On!)”
7. “Cupid’s Chokehold / Breakfast In America” – featuring Patrick Stump
8. “Sloppy Love Jingle, Pt. 3”
THE QUILT
2-LP Track Listing
Side A
1. “Guilty As Charged” – featuring Estelle
2. “Drnk Txt Rmeo”
3. “Peace Sign/Index Down” – featuring Busta Rhymes
4. “Like Father, Like Son (Papa’s Song)”
Side B
1. “Blinded By The Sun”
2. “Catch Me If You Can”
3. “Cookie Jar” – featuring The-Dream
4. “Live A Little”
Side C
1. “Don’t Tell Me It’s Over”
2. “Live Forever (Fly With Me)” – featuring feat. Daryl Hall
3. “Kissin’ Ears” – featuring The-Dream
Side D
1. “Home”
2. “No Place To Run”
3. “Coming Clean”
LAZARUS – Travie McCoy
Track Listing
Side A
1. “Dr. Feel Good” – featuring CeeLo Green
2. “Superbad”
3. “Billionaire” – featuring Bruno Mars
4. “Need You”
5. “Critical” – featuring Tim William
Side B
1. “Akidagain”
2. “We’ll Be Alright”
3. “The Manual” – featuring T-Pain and Young Cash
4. “After Midnight”
5. “Don’t Pretend” – featuring Colin Munroe
THE PAPERCUT CHRONICLES II
Track Listing
Side A
1. “Za Intro”
2. “Martyrial Girl$”
3. “Life Goes On” – featuring Oh Land
4. “Stereo Hearts” – featuring Adam Levine
5. “Solo Discotheque (Whiskey Bitness)”
6. “Holy Horseshit, Batman!”
Side B
1. “Ass Back Home” – featuring Neon Hitch
2. “Nil-Nil-Draw”
3. “Lazarus, Ze Gitan”
4. “The Fighter” – featuring Ryan Tedder
5. “Kid Nothing And The Never-Ending Naked Nightmare”
