| Black Market Records | |
| Genre: | Hip hop |
| Distributor: | EMPIRE |
| Country: | United States |
| Location: | Sacramento, California |
| Slogan: | "Hounds Of Tha Underground" |
Black Market Records is an American record label based in Sacramento, California, founded in 1989.[1] Its acts included Brotha Lynch Hung and X-Raided.[2] Although Black Market Records is an independent label, it operates in multiple countries on a scale that is unprecedented for independent labels. Black Market has branches in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana & Cuba and has artists on its roster from across US, Latin America & Africa.
Black Market Records was founded in 1989 by Cedric Singleton.[3] In 1992 the label released Sacramento rapper X-Raided's album "Psycho Active" featuring Brotha Lynch Hung.[2] In 1993 the label released Brotha Lynch Hung's EP 24 Deep, which rose to no. 91 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[4] the label's first album to chart. Brotha Lynch Hung later released "Season of da Siccness", the label's second album to chart. After Lynch released his second LP, Loaded, he began a long-standing feud with label head Singleton over the rights to his back catalog.
During the sessions of EBK4, a home invasion took place during which the thieves had taken songs still in progress. Due to the disputes, Black Market released EBK4 without Lynch's permission, using other artists off the label to complete unfinished songs where extra verses were needed. This practice continued with Brotha Lynch's catalog including the solo album The Virus in 2001, and three compilations, Appearances: Book 1, Remains: Book II, and Book III, in 2002. Brotha Lynch Hung left Black Market in 2003. X-Raided left Black Market after his contract was fufilled in 2000.[5]
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Former