All underground rappers who become successful enough to be household names eventually have to partner up with a large record label to continue their growth. For instance, once small time underground rapper Eminem went from being signed to Detroit based independent label Web Entertainment to being signed to Interscope Records as part of a multi-million dollar deal. If he hadnt, he wouldnt be the global superstar he is today. Who else is in that boat?
Flint, Michigan based rappers Dayton Family were just like Eminem was once upon a time: impoverished, unknown, and brilliant. In the mid 90s, Dayton Family (named after the street they lived on, Dayton St.) slowly started gaining notoriety in the clubs around their hometown. Before they could blink they had been signed to a label and created a record that was certified gold.
However as is the case with many such underground rap groups, fame turned out to be more than Dayton Family could handle. After a series of imprisonments and other legal trouble, the Dayton Family had no choice but to take a three year hiatus in the beginning of the 00s. But, as is also the case with many underground rap groups that have suffered the same fate, theres often a third party interested in reviving said underground rap groups faltering career.
In the case of the Dayton Family, those angels were none other than once prominent underground rappers Insane Clown Posse, who own Psychopathic Records. (Described as once prominent here because they are now mainstream, and the underground label isnt as applicable).
Insane Clown Posse started their own record label at the beginning of their own career and called it Psychopathic Records. Today, Psychopathic Records not only continues to be the one outlet for Insane Clown Posses horror rap music, but also the one outlet for an all star roster of other horror rap artsits that are a little more underground than ICP is right now.
Between those underground rap artists and ICP, Psychopathic Records is without question the authority on what is good in the world of the underground rap micro genre horror rap.
That said, Psychopathic Records is the precedent. If you get signed to Psychopathic, its safe to say youre on the brink of making it. Of course, not everyone can be signed to Psychopathic, otherwise the accomplishment of such would be worthless and the label wouldnt be a trusted source of new music. Thats why Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope created Psychopathic Records subsidiary Hatchet House to sniff out the next big thing.
And guess whos signed to Hatchet House now
Dayton Family has only been signed to Psychopathic Records subsidiary Hatchet House since 2010, but if they are at all able to pick up the momentum where it was in the late 90s, these guys will be boosted from the underground rap game back into the main stream. You dont sell 500,000 albums by accident. If that does turn out to be the case, Dayton Family will surely move up the ranks from Hatchet House to Psychopathic Records.