| abstract | - Hot Karl, born Jensen-Gerard Karp, is a Jewish American rapper. He does not claim to possess "street cred" or to be from rough backgrounds—he was raised in Calabasas, California—but rather is drawn to hip-hop as an artform independent of its socioeconomic roots. Karl is often compared to MC Paul Barman and MC Serch, two other Jewish rap artists with relatively similar lyrical styles and suburban roots. Karl engaged in rap battling and freestyle at USC, during which time he took up the Hot Karl pseudonym. Karl later entered the famous Roll Call freestyle competition on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, where he lasted a record 30 days on air to become the show's all-time champion. Karl began collaboration with Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal, creating a demo exhibiting his satirical style and tightly-wound rhymes. He eventually signed with Interscope Records, releasing a debut CD, Your Housekeeper Hates You, which included guest appearances by Redman, DJ Quik, Fabolous, Mýa, Sugar Ray, Celph Titled, DJ Clue and MC Serch. However, Interscope informed Karl that his CD could not be commercially released due to scheduling conflicts. Karl was released from his contract, and has recently signed with EMI Music Publishing.. He was featured in the video game NBA Live 2003.
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