According to Wiki;
Travis Lazarus McCoy known by his stage name Travie McCoy , is an American-Haitian-Irish singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010. Raised in Geneva, New York, McCoy became involved with punk rock scenes as a teenager. He formed the group Gym Class Heroes with childhood friend Matt McGinley, and after several line-up changes, the group was signed to Fueled by Ramen, and released their debut album. The group achieved mainstream success in 2006 when its album As Cruel as School Children was released, Gym Class Heroes are most notable for their songs “Cupid’s Chokehold”,”Ass Back Home” and “Stereo Hearts”.
Gym Class Heroes took a three year hiatus from music, leaving McCoy to focus on his solo career; McCoy released his debut solo album, Lazarus, in 2010. The lead single from the album, “Billionaire” featuring Bruno Mars, peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the UK Singles Chart. The single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. McCoy is signed to T-Pain’s label Nappy Boy Entertainment:
McCoy was born and raised in Geneva, New York, United States. His father is Haitian and his mother is of Irish ancestry.During college, McCoy was a wheelchair user for four months following a brawl at a frat party; his lack of mobility allowed him to focus on art. When he was 15, McCoy worked in a tattoo parlor as an apprentice, and shortly after, he began tattooing his friends. His cousin is Tyga from Young Money. As a teenager, McCoy was a fan of hardcore punk bands such as Snapcase and Earth Crisis, as well as underground rap acts such as Company Flow and the Arsonists. He says of his musical tastes “I was never a typical hip-hop kid. I didn’t want to be pigeonholed.”
McCoy frequently took buses to Manhattan throughout high school to participate in battle raps at the indie rap club Fat Beats. He played the drums in high school and created a rap group with his father and his brother called True Life Playas, and says of the experience, “It was so bad! The tapes exist somewhere but hopefully they’ll never be found.” In high
school, he met future bandmate Matt McGinley in his gym class and the two bonded over a common interest in music, in particular punk rock, indie rock and hip hop. They decided to start a band and played with other musicians until Gym Class Heroes was formed in 1997. After graduating from Geneva High School, McCoy attended art school at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute and majored in fine arts and illustration.
However, he dropped out at age 20 to focus on his tattoo work and his musical career. At one time, McCoy was working at a tattoo parlor during the night and teaching art at a Boys & Girls Club in the daytime, and working at a gas station at night. He decided to quit all three jobs and work on art full-time, opening an art show with his friend. He lived off of the money he made from selling paintings before Gym Class Heroes became successful. Travis made his MTV debut in the summer of 2002, as he appeared on stage at the beach house, winning a standard nationwide MC battle that was held on the MTV show Direct Effect.
McCoy dated singer Katy Perry on and off for several years; they met in a recording studio in New York City. He had given a promise ring to Perry, and when asked if this was rehearsal for an actual proposal, McCoy shrugged with a grin. The two broke up in December 2008.They began dating again in April 2009. However, they broke up once more a few months later. McCoy is allegedly the subject of Perry’s song “Circle the Drain”, from her 2010 Teenage Dream album.McCoy says of the relationship, “I’m over it. There’s no bad blood. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.
I’m not the type to hold grudges. Why would I? Our time together was awesome and it’s time to move on. Now she’s with Russell Brand and the dude’s awesome, I wish the best for both of ’em. And we both have gone our separate ways so it is what it is.”
Travie McCoy is Young Money rapper Tyga’s cousin and was featured on his debut single “Coconut Juice” from the album No Introduction.
