Travis McCoy

Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy (born August 5, 1981) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the rap rock group Gym Class Heroes, as well as for his solo music career.

McCoy was raised in Geneva, New York, by a father of Haitian descent and a mother of Native American and Irish heritage. As a child, he spent four months in a wheelchair following a skateboarding accident, during which he focused on art. At age 15, he began working as an apprentice in a tattoo parlor. During high school, McCoy played drums, formed a rap group called True Life Playas with his father and brother, and frequently traveled to Manhattan to participate in battle raps at the club Fat Beats. After graduating from Geneva High School, he studied fine arts and illustration at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, but left at age 20 to pursue tattooing and music.

In 1997, McCoy officially formed Gym Class Heroes with high school classmate Matt McGinley. After releasing independent recordings, the group signed with Fueled by Ramen and Pete Wentz's Decaydance Records to release their 2005 album, The Papercut Chronicles. They gained mainstream success with their major label debut, As Cruel as School Children (2006), which included the hit singles "Cupid's Chokehold" and "Clothes Off!!". Their follow-up album, The Quilt (2008), reached number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart. After a hiatus, the group re-emerged with The Papercut Chronicles II in 2011, featuring the hit single "Stereo Hearts".

McCoy established his solo career with his debut studio album, Lazarus (2010), released through Decaydance and T-Pain's Nappy Boy Entertainment. The album's lead single, "Billionaire" featuring Bruno Mars, peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2015, he released the single "Golden" featuring Sia, which was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). After an extended hiatus, McCoy signed with Hopeless Records in 2021 and released his second solo album, Never Slept Better, in 2022.

In addition to his performing career, McCoy founded the imprint label BatSquad in 2007 to sign and mentor rapper Tyga. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a variety of musical acts, including Daryl Hall, Taio Cruz, Olly Murs, and Brendon Urie. With Gym Class Heroes, McCoy won the fan-voted Best New Artist award at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, and the band was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2025.