Alternative hip-hop group Gym Class Heroes [ tickets ] will headline a major North American outing next year dubbed "The Daryl Hall for President Tour '07."

Shows kick off Feb. 17 in Boston, MA, and the band will hit cities all over the US and Canada into April. Support slots will be filled by progressive ska-punkers RX Bandits [ tickets ] and alt-hip-hop artists P.O.S. and k-os. Dates are listed below.

Before the North American outing, the hard-touring Gym Class Heroes will head to the UK for a week's worth of gigs in February. Those shows can be found at the band's website.

The group, known for using live instruments to create its rap/rock/R&B sound, released its sophomore album, "As Cruel as School Children," in November. The effort has the band on several "new artist to watch" lists.

Gym Class Heroes wanted to bring the fun back to hip-hop with the new album.

"The whole fun element of hip-hop has disappeared," frontman Travis McCoy said in a statement. "Everybody takes themselves so seriously; it's become a fashion show more or less. We wanted the vibe to be as fun as possible."

The single "Cupid's Chokehold" is currently impacting radio and MTV. The song and video are streaming at Gym Class Heroes' MySpace page.

Geneva, NY-based Gym Class Heroes got the attention of the Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen label with their previous album, 2005's "The Papercut Chronicles,"and the label promply signed the group. The band has since played the Vans Warped Tour, hit the road with bands like Fall Out Boy and All-American Rejects, and headlined a host of sold-out dates, according to a press release.