If you haven’t heard yet, Gym Class Heroes seems to be the new face in hip-hop, and “As Cruel as School Children” seems to be their best album yet. Alas, there is no shortage of help from other Fueled by Ramen family members. In 2003 “Fall Out Boy’s” Pete Wentz stumbled upon “Gym Class Heroes” and decided to sign them on his label, Decaydance.
On “As Cruel as School Children” William Beckett from “The Academy Is..” sings the well laid out chorus on “7 Weeks,” and “Fall out Boy’s” vocalist Patrick Stump sang the chorus for “Gym Class Heroes'” latest hit, “Cupid’s Chokehold.” With all this help from two of the biggest bands in the emo, pop-punk genre, many kids signed on to be fans right away.
With “As Cruel as School Children” written much like a concept album; almost entirely about high school, women and alcohol, there is only so much you can hear about those subjects without questioning the lyrical creativity of the band. It is true however that the mix of an emo, pop-punk label, and a hip-hop band combine to make a certain sound that has not really been heard before. Decide for yourself, some say it is innovative, and some say it is outright confused.
A lot is new in “As Cruel as School Children” which makes it by far the best “Gym Class Heroes” album yet, but a part of me thinks this album was written solely for high school students.
release date: Tuesday, July 25, 2006
