Kenyan rapper Fathermoh has secured a legal victory in his KSh87 million copyright dispute with former record label Black Market Records, after the High Court cleared the way for the Copyright Tribunal to hear the case by overturning orders that had blocked the proceedings.

Fathermoh sued the US-based label in May 2026, accusing it of unlawful monetisation of his music, copyright infringement and denying him control over his music catalogue.

The record label, owned by US citizen and former DJ-turned-music executive Cedric Singleton, had previously rented a house for Fathermoh and catered for his monthly shopping expenses.

Black Market Records then moved to the High Court challenging the Copyright Tribunal’s powers to hear the matter, and in September it secured temporary orders barring the Tribunal from proceeding.

This week, however, the High Court reversed those orders, agreeing with Fathermoh’s argument that the label had misled the court by hiding important information when it sought to stop the Tribunal from determining the suit.

Lady Justice Wanyama observed that had the label been truthful in its submissions, the court would not have granted the orders in the first place.

The judge also noted that the label, registered in the US in 1999, had its registration suspended, and that it had not tabled any proof that it had transferred its operations to another active entity.

The matter now goes back to the Copyright Tribunal for determination.

Fathermoh is not the only artiste in the fight. Harry Craze, a close associate of his, has also filed a lawsuit against Black Market Records over alleged copyright infringement.