Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big

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Now in paperback, the story of "Hot Karl," the Jewish kid from the LA suburbs who became a rap battling legend-and then almost became a star In this "triumphantly funny" (AV Club) memoir, comedian Jensen Karp tells the story of how, as a Jewish kid from the L.A. suburbs, he became a rap battle legend-and then almost became a star. "The funniest person I follow on Twitter finally got smart and wrote about his unlikely-and hilarious-odyssey as teenage rapper Hot Karl."-Kevin Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Tough Sh*t When twelve-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 journey that would end with a failed million-dollar recording and publishing deal with Interscope Records when he was only nineteen. 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 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 closebrush 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.

Jensen Karp, formerly known as Hot Karl, is a writer, comedian, and co-owner of Gallery 1988, the nation's leading destination for pop culture-themed artwork. He hosts the Get Up On This podcast on the Earwolf Network, co-owns Patti Lapel pins, and has written and produced for The Late Late Show with James Corden, the MTV VMAs and Movie Awards, Rolling Stone, WWE Raw, The Hundreds, and the ESPYs. As an actor, he's appeared on VH1's Barely Famous, NFL on FOX,and Candidly Nicole. He is currently an executive producer, writer, and coach on Drop the Mic on TBS. He was influenced by early Tom Hanks comedies, Chino XL, and Dennis Miller (before Dennis became a real piece of shit).

"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 "Hilarious."-Harper's Bazaar (Must Read Books for Summer) "Funny, 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