The funniest person I follow on Twitter finally got smart and wrote about his unlikely and hilarious odyssey as teenage rapper Hot Karl. Karp s sharp wit and gossipy giggles keep you turning pages, but what lingers is the story of a survivor. This book should be mandatory reading for or anyone who has ever wanted to be famous.
Kevin Smith, "New York Times "bestselling author of "Tough Sh*t"
If I had kids, I'd read passages from this to them at night. Rap careers definitely haven't been explored from this perspective, and I'm excited to see the ripples. Jensen s gonna make some enemies, though. I ve been on television.
Hannibal Buress
I remember hearing faint whispers about a white kid on the west coast who got like the craziest deal ever from some radio freestyles or some shit. But we never saw anything concrete, so I assumed he was hip-hop's Bigfoot and left it at that. Who knew it was real !!! This is the story of the rap game's Sasquatch.
Bun B, Grammy-nominated rapper
Jensen's story is so funny and so well-written that it's impossible there's any truth to it.
Kay Cannon, writer, "Pitch Perfect" and "30 Rock"
Sure, everyone is curious to know what it's like to be a white rapper, but only Jensen Karp has the wit and humility to reveal what it was like to get knocked down by the music industry, dust off his Cross Colours, and keep moving.
Paul Scheer"
A superbly unsentimental chronicle of growing up in the 90s as a white kid who loved rap more than anything. It s a classic L.A. redemption story of an artist narrowly missing stardom and failing at his first dream, but surviving to write his own second act, and ultimately, one of the best hip-hop memoirs in years.
LA Weekly
"If the title doesn't grab your attention, the story definitely will."
PopSugar (The 13 Hottest Books Hitting Shelves This June) "Hilarious."
Harper's Bazaar(Must Read Books for Summer)
[F]unny, irreverent .There s plenty of juicy anecdotes, celebrity gossip, and shady industry dealings.
GQ "Hilarious and revealing."
AV Club The funniest person I follow on Twitter finally got smart and wrote about his unlikely and hilarious odyssey as teenage rapper Hot Karl. Karp s sharp wit and gossipy giggles keep you turning pages, but what lingers is the story of a survivor. This book should be mandatory reading for or anyone who has ever wanted to be famous.
Kevin Smith, New York Timesbestselling author ofTough Sh*t If I had kids, I'd read passages from this to them at night. Rap careers definitely haven't been explored from this perspective, and I'm excited to see the ripples. Jensen s gonna make some enemies, though. I ve been on television.
Hannibal Buress I remember hearing faint whispers about a white kid on the west coast who got like the craziest deal ever from some radio freestyles or some shit. But we never saw anything concrete, so I assumed he was hip-hop's Bigfoot and left it at that. Who knew it was real !!! This is the story of the rap game's Sasquatch.
Bun B, Grammy-nominated rapper Jensen's story is so funny and so well-written that it's impossible there's any truth to it.
Kay Cannon, writer, Pitch Perfectand30 Rock Sure, everyone is curious to know what it's like to be a white rapper, but only Jensen Karp has the wit and humility to reveal what it was like to get knocked down by the music industry, dust off his Cross Colours, and keep moving.
Paul Scheer"
"Triumphantly funny...Karp has a gift for crafting portraits of hip-hop stars that are as funny and revealing as they are succinct, and his take on a pre-fame West is funny but also, like much of the rest of the book, surprisingly emotional and poignant.... A book that is something special."
--AV Club "A superbly unsentimental chronicle of growing up in the '90s as a white kid who loved rap more than anything. It's a classic L.A. redemption story of an artist narrowly missing stardom and failing at his first dream, but surviving to write his own second act, and ultimately, one of the best hip-hop memoirs in years."
--LA Weekly "If the title doesn't grab your attention, the story definitely will."
--PopSugar (The 13 Hottest Books Hitting Shelves This June) "Hilarious."
--
Harper's Bazaar (Must Read Books for Summer)
"[F]unny, irreverent....There's plenty of juicy anecdotes, celebrity gossip, and shady industry dealings."
--GQ "The funniest person I follow on Twitter finally got smart and wrote about his unlikely--and hilarious--odyssey as teenage rapper Hot Karl. Karp's sharp wit and gossipy giggles keep you turning pages, but what lingers is the story of a survivor. This book should be mandatory reading for or anyone who has ever wanted to be famous."
--
Kevin Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Tough Sh*t "If I had kids, I'd read passages from this to them at night. Rap careers definitely haven't been explored from this perspective, and I'm excited to see the ripples. Jensen's gonna make some enemies, though. I've been on television."
--
Hannibal Buress "I remember hearing faint whispers about a white kid on the west coast who got like the craziest deal ever from some radio freestyles or some shit. But we never saw anything concrete, so I assumed he was hip-hop's Bigfoot and left it at that. Who knew it was real !!! This is the story of the rap game's Sasquatch."
--Bun B, Grammy-nominated rapper "Jensen's story is so funny and so well-written that it's impossible there's any truth to it."
--Kay Cannon, writer, Pitch Perfect and 30 Rock "Sure, everyone is curious to know what it's like to be a white rapper, but only Jensen Karp has the wit and humility to reveal what it was like to get knocked down by the music industry, dust off his Cross Colours, and keep moving."
--Paul Scheer
“Kanye West Owes Me $300 might be the funniest rap memoir ever.” –LA Weekly
After Vanilla Ice, but before Eminem, there was "Hot Karl," the Jewish kid from the L.A. suburbs who became a rap battling legend—and then almost became a star.
When 12-year old Jensen Karp got his first taste of rapping for crowds at his friend's bar mitzvah in 1991, little did he know that he was taking his first step on a crazy journey—one that would end with a failed million-dollar recording and publishing deal with Interscope Records when he was only 19. Now, in Kanye West Owes Me $300, Karp finally tells the true story of his wild ride as "Hot Karl," the most famous white rapper you've never heard of.
On his way to (almost) celebrity, Jensen shares his childhood run-ins with rock-listening, southern California classmates, who tell him that "rap is for black people," and then recounts his record-breaking rap battling streak on popular radio contest “The Roll Call”—a run that caught the eye of a music industry hungry for new rap voices in the early ‘00s. He also introduces his rap partner, Rickye, who constitutes the second half of their group XTra Large; his supportive mom, who performs with him onstage; and the soon-to-be-household-name artists he records with, including Kanye West, Redman, Fabolous, Mya, and will.i.am. Finally, he reveals why his album never saw the light of day (two words: Slim Shady), the downward spiral he suffered after, and what he found instead of rap glory.
Full of rollicking stories from his close brush with fame, Karp’s hilarious memoir is the ultimate fish-out-of-water story about a guy who follows an unlikely passion—trying to crack the rap game—despite what everyone else says. It’s 30 Rock for the rap set; 8 Mile for the suburbs; and quite the journey for a white kid from the valley.