Former Employees Charged With Stealing And Selling Unreleased Eminem Music

Rapper from the United States, Eminem (Instagram @jeremydeputat)

JAKARTA - The case of the leaking of Eminem's music, which was not released in January, continues with the indictment of the former rapper's employee, Joseph Strange, for alleged copyright infringement and the transportation of stolen goods between states.

Strange is thought to have sold Eminem's musical works to people who uploaded more than 25 songs online in January. Dennis Dennehy as a spokesperson also stated that the 52-year-old rapper appreciated the latest developments in the case.

"Eminem and his team really appreciate the efforts of the Detroit FBI bureau for a thorough investigation that led to the charges against Joe Strange," Dennehy said, citing Variety, Friday, March 21.

Dennehy said that Eminem and other content creators were very significant losses involved in these works.

"The significant loss caused by trusted employees to Eminem's artistic heritage and creative integrity cannot be exaggerated, let alone the enormous financial loss suffered by many creators and collaborators who deserve to be protected for their decades of work," he said. We will continue to take all necessary steps to protect Eminem's artwork and will not stop doing so.

Meanwhile, the criminal complaint of this case began when Eminem's songs circulated on the web in January. Several studio employees contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after learning that the unreleased music was available online.

Strange himself is a former voice technician who works for Eminem from 2007 to 2021. Strange is assigned to a recording studio in Ferndale, Michigan. It was also mentioned that the former employee had access to leaked songs.

The FBI itself has identified several people who bought the unreleased music, including one named Doja Rat, who said he paid Strange $50,000 for the songs. Rat stated, Strange claimed to have more than 300 songs and a handwritten lyric sheet.

The FBI also identified several other individuals including Kali Kush and ATL who were involved in purchasing Eminem's songs in groups. FBI agents also searched Strange's residence on January 28 and confiscated a hard drive containing an unreleased copy of Eminem's music.

In addition, financial records were also found that revealed payments to Strange for the music being sold. The submission stated that more than 25 Eminem songs recorded between 1999 and 2018 managed to enter the internet without his consent.