Don't sleep on the latest release by Gym School Heroe's titled As Cruel As School Children. The group has a real fresh sound. The first single from the release "New Friend Request" is something that everyone who is a part of the whole Myspace phenomenon will be able to relate to. "Clothes Off" is an uptempo song that puts a whole new spin on the classic Jermaine Stewart song "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off."

When listening to As Cruel As School Children I had that same feeling I got when I listened to the Souls of Mischief album 93' To Infinity for the first time. From start to finish it's a solid album and it's the kind of album you can imagine listening to at a summer barbecue or at a day at the beach. Stand out tracks on the album include the first single "Friend Request," "Shoot Down The Stars," and "7 Weeks."

Travie, Matt, Dishani, and Eric have released a real fresh album for the summer. A little Jamiroquai, a little Souls of Mischief and N.E.R.D., a little Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gym Class Heroes have ushered in a brand new style of hip-hop rock pop funk.

I'll admit that I didn't really know much about Gym Class Heroes until I saw them at a show with P.O.S. (Rhymesayers) and K-Os (Canada's finest) back in February. I actually went only because I'm a huge K-Os fan. Anyway, after a few listens to this album, the first thing to jump out at me was how tight an MC their frontman Travis McCoy is. He rides beats very well and I gotta say it's great to hear a young, black rapper (can I call him a rapper?) come out and do his own thing instead of trying to imitate Jay Z or any other "thug of the week." His accapella freestyles (the Sloppy Love Jingles) are noteworthy and worth hearing too. Dude can flow and is a capable singer to boot. The topics range from love to MySpace usage. No stone is left unturned with these guys and that, along with a great sense of humor, is part of their charm in my humble opinion.

As far as flaws go, I couldn't really find any. I mean, some songs hit me more than others, but none of them were bad. Just a little skip material here or there, but nothing worth mentioning. I take that back. "Clothes Off!" was a misstep worth mentioning. Travis' flow on this one is dope, but the hook is annoying. It's the only track I consistently skip. The rest is great.

As Cruel As School Children is an album that I recommend to lovers of all kinds of music. Call it hip hop. Call it punk rock. Call it Pop. Call it whatever you want to call it, but just know that it's great stuff no matter what you call it. I, for one, will be seeking out their previous material as well as any future releases. I recommend adding this to your music library.

Standout Tracks: Viva la White Girl, Cupid's Chokehold, New Friend Request, The Queen and I, 7 Weeks, Sloppy Love Jingle Pt. 1, It's OK But Just This Once!, and Shoot Down the Stars (My Favorite)

Recently bought "As Cruel as School Children" and two of the sixteen tracks were not included on the copy I got, one of them being Cupid's Chokehold which is supposed to be GCH single right now.....explain that

I loved the Papercut Chronicles. To me it was something to listen to that wasn't mainstream rap and it wasnt lame underground. The beats were real and it was completely wonderful.

Now I have Gym Class Heroes second album. I'd like to say the combination of real beats, almost 80's songs beats, Travis actually singing melodically, and the guests are grand. I think this cd should be bumped, loud. It deserves it completely.

Trust me, this cd is amazing. The 80's obsession shows as evident in Clothes Off!. And the beat in New Friend Request is crisp. The guests, such as William Beckett, do their job wonderfully too.

The skits can slow it down a bit at times, but at least he does a great job of rhyming in them. The artwork and picture complements the album wonderfully. Grab it if your a fan of hip-hop, rap, or just a music lover.

The copy of this CD that I got from Amazon does have Cupid's Chokehold on it. Now I have 2 CDs with this song.
I thought this was a great CD and I really liked most of the songs on it. There are a few that I don't care for as much ("Clothes Off!" comes to mind) but the rest of the songs definitely make it worth the purchase. "Shoot Down the Stars," "New Friend Request," "Viva la White Girl!," and "On My Own Time" are among some of my favorite songs.