Unreleased Eminem Recordings Sold, Former Employee Charged

Eminem’s former sound engineer is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing and selling the rapper’s unreleased music.

Prosecutors say 45-year-old Joseph Strange stole unreleased music created by Eminem and sold it on the internet, where it was later leaked. Acting US Attorney Julie Beck is charging Strange with criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods. Joseph Strange is said to have worked for Eminem between 2007 and 2021.

The FBI reportedly received a tip in January from employees of Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, who discovered the unreleased music online. Similarly, they found an image of a list of music the rapper created but had not released, and realized the image was taken from the hard drive where the songs were kept.

A complaint filed in US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan said employees of the studio told federal agents that the music in question is stored on hard drives not accessible to the internet. Those hard drives are also password protected and stored in a safe when not in use. According to employees, only four people had access to those hard drives: three sound engineers (Joseph Strange, Mike Strange, and Tony Campana), and manager John Fischer.

The criminal complaint says Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, contacted a business associate in the UK for assistance. The associate, Fred Nasser, better known as Fredwreck, posted on social media warning fans about the leaked music. A fan then reportedly contacted Nasser about the leaks, providing screenshots of a chat with a person using the name “Doja Rat.” This person allegedly purchased the songs from Joseph Strange, paying about $50,000 in Bitcoin.

FBI agents searched Joseph Strange’s home in late January and found numerous handwritten lyric sheets and notes from Eminem inside a safe, a VHS tape containing unreleased music, and more.

Meanwhile, Eminem’s longtime spokesperson released a statement earlier this year about unreleased songs leaked from the rapper’s vault. “These leaked songs were studio efforts never meant for public consumption […] demos, experiments, and ideas that are dated and not relevant so many years later,” Dennis Dennehy said. “The latest in a line of unfinished material released against artists’ will and without their permission.”

“Eminem and his team are very appreciate of the efforts by the FBI Detroit bureau for its thorough investigation which led to the charges against Joe Strange,” Dennehy continued in a statement to 7 News Detroit. “The significant damage caused by a trusted employee to Eminem’s artistic legacy and creative integrity cannot be overstated, let alone the enormous financial losses incurred by the many creators and collaborators that deserve protection for their decades of work. We will continue to take any and all steps necessary to protect Eminem’s art and will stop at nothing to do so.”

“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” wrote Acting US Attorney Beck in a statement.

“This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding artists’ intellectual property from exploitation by individuals seeking to profit illegally,” added FBI Special Agent in Charge of Michigan Cheyvoryea Gibson. “Thanks to the cooperation of Mathers Music Studio, FBI agents from the Oakland County Resident Agency were able to swiftly enforce federal laws and ensure Joseph Strange was held accountable for his actions.”