Former Employee Charged With Leaking Unheard Eminem Songs

Source: DOMINIC GWINN / Getty

A former employee of Eminem has been charged by the FBI for his role in leaking unreleased songs by the rapper online.

According to reports, federal prosecutors have criminally charged a former employee of superstar rapper Eminem in connection with the sale of unreleased music. The employee, Joseph Strange, worked at a studio of Eminem’s in Ferndale, Michigan, from 2007 to 2021. Current employees at the studio alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation that more than 25 songs that Eminem recorded between 1999 to 2018  were leaked online in January. The announcement of Strange’s arrest and the charges were made on Wednesday (March 19).

FBI agents quickly identified people who bought the music from Strange, with one person stating he paid Strange $50,000 in Bitcoin and that Strange claimed to have 300 unreleased tracks by Eminem along with handwritten lyric sheets. Strange is charged with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods. If convicted of the first charge, he faces a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A conviction on the second charge could net him a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Eminem’s manager, John Fisher, told the FBI that Strange had no authority to possess the files. Agents would search Strange’s home on Jan. 28, finding records of financial payments for the sales of the songs along with seizing hard drives where the unreleased music was stored. Among the songs was “Smack You,” which made headlines in January due to lyrics dissing Ja Rule and Suge Knight. “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,” said acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck in their office’s statement.

“Eminem and his team are very appreciative of the efforts by the FBI Detroit bureau for its thorough investigation which led to the charges against Joe Strange,” Eminem spokesperson Dennis Dennehy said. “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.”

Related Images: