Travie McCoy and Gym Class Heroes, the genre-blending band that got its start in Geneva, will be honored with induction into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. The ceremony and concert will take place on April 13 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
The band, which skyrocketed to fame in the early 2000s, was co-founded in 1997 by McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley when they were students at Geneva High School. The group’s fusion of hip-hop, pop, punk, and funk led to a string of hits, including “Cupid’s Chokehold” and “Stereo Hearts,” the latter featuring Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.
McCoy, the band’s charismatic frontman, has also found success as a solo artist, collaborating with Bruno Mars on the 2010 chart-topping single “Billionaire.” In the music video, McCoy sneaks in a nod to his hometown—tossing keys to a hitchhiker holding a sign reading “New York — Geneva.”
Beyond music, McCoy is a skilled visual artist. Before Gym Class Heroes took off, he worked in a Geneva tattoo shop and taught art at the local Boys & Girls Club. His artistic roots remain a central part of his identity.
Gym Class Heroes will be inducted alongside Chet Catallo, a Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist from Rochester, and John Fossitt, a Gates-Chili native who has been Bruno Mars’s keyboardist for over a decade. The band’s original members—McCoy, McGinley, guitarist Milo Bonacci, and bassist Ryan Geise—will be honored as part of the induction.
McCoy will take the stage to perform at the April 13 ceremony, celebrating both his band’s legacy and the Geneva community that shaped its journey.
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