Cycadelic Records

About

Cycadelic Records is a record label that originated as a swap meet stall in the 1980s. It was founded by Korean-born Wan Joon Kim (born 1933 or 1934; died March 13, 2013), who sold the music of early gangsta rap artists. It was located at the Compton Swap Meet (officially Compton Fashion Center), an indoor swap meet in Compton, California until the building's closure in 2015. Kim has been called the "godfather of gangsta rap", and the Compton Swap Meet has been referenced by many rappers.

Kim, who had immigrated from Korea to Los Angeles in 1976, began selling at swap meets to make money. After a group of Korean swap meet vendors founded the Compton Swap Meet in 1985, Kim opened a stall. He began selling hip-hop music and became one of the first to sell gangsta rap records, befriending rappers. He was one of the first to sell music by artists such as N.W.A. The swap meet was featured in the music video for "California Love" by 2Pac and Dr. Dre. Kim's business remained popular through the 1990s. Kim died in 2013, and the building closed in 2015. Kim's son, Kirk Kim, continued the business as a record label, signing international rappers.