A former staff member of Eminem’s inner circle has been arrested and charged with stealing and profiting from unreleased tracks belonging to the rap icon.
According to Detroit’s ABC affiliate, 46-year-old Joseph Strange is facing federal charges for criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods after allegedly leaking and selling unreleased music from Eminem’s archives.
Speculation about the leak first emerged in January, prompting Eminem’s camp to respond publicly. Dennis Dennehy, a spokesperson for the rapper, addressed the situation in a statement to Billboard:
“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. The latest in a line of unfinished material released against artists’ will and without their permission.”
Court documents reveal that the FBI launched an investigation in January after receiving a tip from Eminem’s studio team, who discovered his unreleased tracks circulating online.
Strange, who worked with the Detroit MC from 2007 to 2021, was among only four individuals with direct access to the hard drives storing Eminem’s music. Prosecutors claim that during his employment, he orchestrated a deal to sell the music to an Ontario-based buyer, known online as Doja Rat, for $50,000 in Bitcoin. The leaked songs were traced back to files on a studio hard drive, which was last accessed between 2019 and 2020, while Strange was still employed.
A search of Strange’s home on January 28 uncovered a trove of stolen materials, including original Eminem lyric sheets, a VHS tape containing unreleased music, and hard drives with over 12,000 audio files, some featuring Eminem and other artists.
FBI Special Agent in Charge of Michigan, Cheyvoryea Gibson, emphasized the importance of protecting artists’ creative property, stating, “This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding artists’ intellectual property from exploitation by individuals seeking to profit illegally. 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.”
The case highlights artists’ ongoing struggle in protecting their work from unauthorized leaks and digital piracy. As the legal process unfolds, Strange now faces serious federal charges for allegedly breaching the trust of one of hip-hop’s biggest names.