Travis Lazarus McCoy, born Travie McCoy in Geneva, NY, is a rapper who leads the alternative rap group Gym Class Heroes. He became interested in hip hop and punk rocks during his teens, having listened to hardcore punk rock bands and taking buses to engage in battle raps. He formed the rap group True Life Playas with his dad and brother, then formed the group Gym Class Heroes with friend Matt McGinley. They signed to Fueled By Ramen and achieved mainstream success, building a fan base and appearing on the Warped Tour. He released four albums with Gym Class Heroes before embarking on a solo career during the groups hiatus. McCoy became an established rapper on his own, having guest-appeared on songs by Kelly Rowland and Tyga and winning the first prize in the MTV Direct Effect MC Battle. He released his debut album Lazarus in 2010 with the double-platinum single Billionaire featuring Bruno Mars. The album became number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles Chart. McCoy says that he plans to do remixes with other artists. He has performed at the 1010 MTV VMAs, toured with Bruno Mars, and joined the Summerbeatz tour with Soulja Boy, Jay Sean, and Flo Rida.