Virginia
¿WHOiSkaRL
Even if you’re from Virginia, and someone asked you to point out Ettrick, Va. on a map, you probably wouldn’t know where to drop the location pin. To top that, you probably wouldn’t expect one of the most versatile, upcoming lyricists, born in a town of less than 7,000 people, to be ready to tap into the airwaves as soon as he gets the “Go!”.
Crazy Karl, a native of small-town Ettrick, Va., located just outside Petersburg, Va., is tapping into music as a means to educate, inform and entertain listeners telling stories of the complex environments he’s learned to navigate over the years—professional and the streets.
Karl has been tediously perfecting his craft and searching for his sound. Deep diving into creative cadences and melodies with flawless transitions being a highlight defining his flow. He has a knack for imagery, describing everything from person-to-person interaction and even the terrain of Virginia, pulling the listener in. He’s got something unique; something that most Virginia artists aren’t typically known to have.
Karl’s music interests didn’t spark until 2014, when a fraternity brother asked him to create music to perform at a showcase in Charlotte NC.
“I’ve been musically inclined for a long time, growing up in the church, singing so getting on stage wasn’t a big deal” Karl says. “The audience engagement of that first showcase sparked the initial idea that I could make music seriously”.
“I grew up in a household that was very eclectic in the music we listened to,” said Karl. “My pops liked everything from rock n’ roll, to rap and soul so we’d listen to everything under the sun”. Coming up in Virginia but traveling around the country meeting people from everywhere I found a deeper love for music. I found shit like the Witch Doctor, Three 6 Mafia, Crucial Conflict Nas, Master P, Paul Wall and the list goes on—I think the influence comes from everywhere,” he added.
Karl’s mission isn’t just to get put on, or to be seen for a short while. His mission is bigger than laying vocals and campaigning a new song, crediting Master P and Jay Z for influencing him on how to build beyond music, emphasizing business acumen and scholarship.
“For me, I think we need balance in music, shit that will push the envelope of how we interpret our lived experience; and my goal is to create music that’s timeless, that can do that—to push the limit of what we see for ourselves”, says Karl.