Jensen-Gerard Karp is an American producer, writer, actor, podcaster, gallerist, and former rapper. Previously known by his stage name Hot Karl, he signed a record deal with Interscope in his early 20s[1] and has gone on to produce and write for television and radio.

Career

edit

Music

edit

Karp was raised in Calabasas, California.[1][2] After a brief stint in hip-hop at 11 years old signed for management to Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate,[2] Karp entered the Roll Call freestyle competition on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, during his time at USC,[3] where he lasted a record 45 days on air to become the show's all-time champion.[4] Karp created a demo exhibiting his satirical style and tightly wound rhymes. He eventually signed with Interscope Records for what he said was a million dollars,[5] where he recorded what was to be his debut album, Your Housekeeper Hates You, which included guest appearances by Redman, Kanye West, will.i.am, DJ Quik, Fabolous, Mýa, Sugar Ray, DJ Clue, and MC Serch. However, Interscope informed Karl that his album could not be commercially released due to scheduling conflicts and he decided to leave Interscope. Jensen released his memoir, Kanye West Owes Me $300 (and other true stories from a white rapper who ALMOST made it big), detailing the entire experience in June 2016 with Crown Books.[6]

In 2013, Karp recorded his first song in 10 years for his favorite basketball team, the Los Angeles Clippers, at the request of the team's in-arena DJ.[7]

In 2016, Karp recorded a song titled "Like Riding a Bike", featuring Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, which is available on SoundCloud.[8]

Radio

edit

In October 2018, Karp joined the cast of the Kevin and Bean morning show, hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter on alternative rock station KROQ 106.7 FM in Los Angeles.[9] He had a regular segment called "Get Up on This", based on his podcast.[10] On March 18, 2020, it was announced that the entire morning crew had been let go by KROQ, over the phone at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] It was reported that the station lost half its audience in the 2 weeks after letting them go as office and car listening fell rapidly across America as the pandemic emerged.[12]

Television

edit

Karp was a writer for WWE Raw for seven months during 2006.[13]

He also appeared on Season 1 of VH1's Barely Famous playing Erin Foster's boyfriend[14] and was seen numerous times on the final season of Candidly Nicole.[15] Karp also appeared on Comedy Central's @midnight.[16] Karp wrote a sketch on The Late Late Show with James Corden called Drop the Mic, where Corden goes head to head battle rapping a different celebrity each installment. After Late Late Show installments with Anne Hathaway, Kevin Hart, David Schwimmer, and Usain Bolt, TBS bought the concept,[citation needed] which aired 31 episodes starting in 2017. Karp was credited as an executive producer for 7 episodes.[17]

Karp has written for Sacha Baron Cohen's Who Is America?[18] The Grammys, The ESPYs,[19] The MTV Movie Awards,[20] The Masked Singer,[18] and the NFL on Fox.[21]

Karp co-owns and operates Gallery 1988, two pop art focused galleries in Los Angeles, California both located on Melrose Avenue.[22][23] He co-wrote the book Just Can't Get Enough for Abrams Books with Matthew Robinson. Gallery 1988 is well known for its Kevin Smith hosted annual show, Crazy 4 Cult, where 100 artists reinterpret classic cult movies in their own style. At one time, Karp was also the brand manager and designer for Pete Wentz's Clandestine Industries. His marketing company, Tyson/Givens Design & Marketing created the LOST Underground Art Project[24] for the show's final season and worked with the TV show Breaking Bad.[25] The gallery has also hosted exhibits for movies including The Avengers,[26][27] Rick and Morty and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[28]

Podcasts

edit

On July 1, 2020, Karp and his wife, Danielle Fishel, started a new podcast called Talk Ain't Cheap,[29] where they analyze and dissect the Cameo accounts of celebrities. They also launched a Patreon[30] account that grants early access to the show, as well as other podcasts and an interactive Instagram game show called Scorantine. The podcast has drawn criticism as the idea was stolen from the Canadian podcast Blocked Party. The show was originally called Word Up! which is a direct copy of Blocked Party's segment title.[31] Since the summer of 2022 Karp has been producing the podcast Pod Meets World in which three cast members from the 90s sitcom Boy Meets World, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, and Karp's wife Danielle Fishel, watch episodes of the show, and share behind the scenes stories of what it was like to make the show.[32]

Personal life

edit

On July 4, 2017, towards the end of episode #303 of his podcast Get Up On This, he announced that he was dating actress Danielle Fishel. The two attended high school together but only began a romantic relationship after reconnecting as adults.[33] On March 22, 2018, Fishel and Karp got engaged.[34] They married on November 4, 2018.[35][36] Fishel announced in January 2019 that she and Karp were expecting their first child in July 2019.[37] After the couple got married in 2018, the couple started a family with the birth of their son Adler Lawrence Karp on June 24, 2019, a month early. Their son spent three weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. There was fluid that was found in Adler's lungs that had not been present prior to that. Over two years later, Fishel and Karp celebrated the arrival of their second son, Keaton Joseph Karp on August 29, 2021[38]

edit

Karp appeared on The Howard Stern Show in 2011 to talk about his time in the rap industry and perform The Roll Call with Howard & Lisa G. He also acted as the Creative Director at comedy YouTube Channel, Jash, where he produced and wrote on projects like The ArScheerio Paul Show and the Chance the Rapper music video for "Na Na.".[39] He has written for Rolling Stone,[40] the ESPYs, the MTV Movie and Video Awards,[5] The Late Late Show with James Corden,[41] and Funny or Die.[42]

Cinnamon Toast Crunch incident

edit

On March 22, 2021, Karp tweeted a photograph of apparent discarded shrimp tails he claimed to have found in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch he purchased, despite the facility not producing a single product containing shrimp.[43] Additionally, Karp said he found a piece of string,[44] "small black pieces" embedded into some pieces of the cereal, and an object that looked like a pea.[45] The tweet about the alleged incident went viral, bringing safety concerns in General Mills' manufacturing process into question.[46][47] General Mills later issued a statement on Twitter claiming the tails were "an accumulation of the cinnamon sugar that sometimes can occur when ingredients aren't thoroughly blended". A company representative claimed “that there’s no possibility of cross contamination with shrimp."[48] On March 23, General Mills claimed the company was investigating the case, but that contamination "did not occur at [their] facility."[49] Karp's presence on Twitter ceased at the time of this incident, alongside concurrent accusations of emotional abuse and gaslighting by former romantic partners.[50][51] His last tweet was posted on 24 March 2021.[52]

Bibliography

edit
  • Just Can't Get Enough (2007) Co-written with Matthew Robinson
  • Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big (2016)

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Leeds, Jeff (November 11, 2002). "No Rap on Eminem: He Gets His Shot, His Opportunity, and Doesn't Let It Slip: Record labels trying to duplicate Eminem's cross-racial success are finding it difficult to make a connection with rap audiences". Los Angeles Times. p. A1. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Hot Karl: Honesty Is The Best Policy". Ballerstatus.com. August 10, 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Wright, Abbe (September 16, 2017). "A Conversation with Jensen Karp". Read It Forward. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Stirling, Stephen (January 9, 2006). "Hot Karl: The Great Escape". PopMatters. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Getz, Dana (June 21, 2016). "'Kanye West Owes Me $300' author Jensen Karp remembers his 'ridiculous' rap career". Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  6. ^ Banks, Alec (June 8, 2016). "Jensen Karp Releases Book on Kanye West's Life Before Fame". Highsnobiety. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  7. ^ Karp, Jensen. "Jensen Karp (Hot Karl) – Where You At? (Clipper Song)". Trust Your Child. Tumblr. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "Like Riding A Bike (feat. Mike Shinoda, Hot Karl, Intuition, Abnormal)". SoundCloud. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  9. ^ Venta, Lance (October 12, 2018). "Jensen Karp Joins Kevin & Bean Show". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Get Up On This with Jensen Karp: The Platform / Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness / The Most Dangerous Animal of All". The World Famous KROQ. March 11, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "KROQ's Kevin Ryder Says Entire Morning Show Team Was Fired | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. March 18, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "March 2020 (2/27 – 3/25) Nielsen Audio PPM Ratings Day 1: And Then COVID Happened". RadioInsight. April 15, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  13. ^ "Former WWE Creative Team Members Discuss MITB, Triple H & Vince, More". 411MANIA. July 19, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  14. ^ "Barely Famous". IMDb. March 18, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  15. ^ "Candidly Nicole (TV Series 2014– )". IMDb. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  16. ^ "@midnight with Chris Hardwick – Tuesday, June 28, 2016". Comedy Central. June 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  17. ^ "Drop the Mic (TV Series 2017– )", IMDb, retrieved September 7, 2020
  18. ^ a b "Jensen Karp". IMDb. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  19. ^ Berkowitz, Joe (June 20, 2016). "How A Former Rapper Turned Comedy Writer Merged His Two Careers". Fast Company. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "Behind the MTV Movie Awards' outlandish 'Leo got f--ed by a bear'". EW.com. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  21. ^ "'Hamilton' Parody Tackles Tom Brady's Sub". EW.com. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  22. ^ "About Us – Gallery 1988". Gallery 1988. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  23. ^ Thomasian, Deborah (September 26, 2012). "Jensen Karp & Gallery 1988". SO Magazine. Serial Optimist. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  24. ^ Sciretta, Peter (December 17, 2009). "Cool Stuff: The LOST Underground Art Project". /Film. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  25. ^ "Tyson Givens t-shirts, Tyson Givens merchandise, Tyson Givens hoodies". DamonCarltonAndAPolarBear. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  26. ^ "Marvel's The Avengers featured at Gallery1988". Marvel Entertainment. The Walt Disney Company. June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  27. ^ Chitwood, Adam (April 23, 2012). "Gallery1988 to Host Art Show Inspired by The Avengers". Collider. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  28. ^ Sciretta, Peter (November 2, 2015). "Cool Stuff: Gallery1988's Art Awakens Star Wars Art Show". /Film. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  29. ^ Karp, Jensen Karp & Danielle Fishel. "Talk Ain't Cheap". Talk Ain't Cheap. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  30. ^ "10 Things Fans Will Love About The Karps Network With Danielle Fishel And Jensen Karp". ScreenRant. July 20, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "John Cullen". Twitter. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  32. ^ "Young Danielle, Rider & Will Meet World". Apple Podcasts. iHeartRadio. April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  33. ^ Borresen, Kelsey (November 5, 2018). "Danielle Fishel Of 'Boy Meets World' Marries Jensen Karp". HuffPost.
  34. ^ "Danielle Fishel Engaged to Drop the Mic Producer Jensen Karp". Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  35. ^ Fishel Karp, Danielle (November 5, 2018). "Mr. & Mrs. Karp. Established 11/04/2018. 📸: @jillianbob 💁🏼♀️: @_hairbylaurie 💄: @julie4makeup Coordinator: @union3events @lisagaskarth..."". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  36. ^ Jaime, Natalya (November 5, 2018). "Danielle Fishel Marries Writer-Producer Jensen Karp". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  37. ^ Fishel Karp, Danielle [@@daniellefishel] (January 2, 2019). "I'm eating for 2. I'm napping w/ wild abandon. Baby shoes. Baby clothes. I'm shopping. I'm nesting. I'm madly in love w/ my husband. I cry at commercials. I'm a walking cliché. I'm confident. I feel inadequate. I'm nervous. I'm excited. He's due in July. We can't wait. #BabyKarp pic.twitter.com/w4qHs4DGbj" (Tweet). Retrieved January 2, 2019 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "Danielle Fishel's 2 Kids: All About Sons Adler and Keaton". Peoplemag.
  39. ^ "Chance The Rapper – "NaNa" Video (Dir. Hannibal Buress)". April 10, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  40. ^ "Paul Heyman's WWE Secret? A 'Perfected Arsenal of Bullsh--'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  41. ^ Ducker, Eric. "Jensen Karp Defines His Failure". FRANK151. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  42. ^ "Jensen Karp Videos, Articles, Pictures". Funny Or Die. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  43. ^ Karp, Jensen (March 22, 2021). "Ummmm @CTCSquares – why are there shrimp tails in my cereal? (This is not a bit)". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021.
  44. ^ Karp, Jensen (March 22, 2021). "I was convinced to go back through the bag, since when I first noticed the shrimp tails, I freaked out and closed the box. Here's all my findings, which also now includes a weird little string?". Twitter.
  45. ^ Karp, Jensen (March 22, 2021). "For real – someone tell me they aren't like maggots or bugs. Is it shrimp adjacent? (also just found this weird cinnamon covered pea thing?) I wish this was a joke". Twitter.
  46. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (March 23, 2021). "Jensen Karp didn't plan for the shrimp tails in his Cinnamon Toast Crunch to go viral". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  47. ^ Marcus, Ezra (March 23, 2021). "Man Says He Found Shrimp Tails in Cinnamon Toast Crunch Box". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  48. ^ Marcus, Ezra (March 23, 2021). "The Curious Case of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Box". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  49. ^ Official Cinnamon Toast Crunch Twitter Account (March 23, 2021). "Cinnamon Toast Crunch Statement". Twitter. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  50. ^ Ortiz, Andi (March 25, 2021). "Cinnamon Toast Crunch Guy Jensen Karp Goes Silent After Emotional Abuse Accusations".
  51. ^ Jennings, Rebecca (March 25, 2021). "A guy (maybe) found shrimp in his cereal. Then it got dark".
  52. ^ Karp, Jensen (March 24, 2021). "No real update and I'm not posting about this bullshit all day again. Waiting for the envelope I agreed on from General Mills to send them back pieces and some of a shrimp tail will leave home for DNA testing at Noon. They grow up so fast". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021.
edit