A former studio engineer for Eminem has been charged with stealing and selling the rapper’s unreleased music online, according to U.S. prosecutors.
Joseph Strange, 46, was arrested after an FBI investigation linked him to the unauthorized distribution of over 25 unreleased Eminem songs. Prosecutors say the tracks surfaced on various platforms, including Reddit and YouTube, without the consent of Eminem or his record label, Interscope Capital Labels Group.
Court documents reveal that the music was stored on password-protected hard drives inside a safe at Eminem’s Ferndale studio, a suburb of Detroit. Investigators believe that Strange—who was employed at the studio until 2021—transferred the files from the hard drives to an external device in October 2019 and January 2020.
The missing tracks only came to light in January 2025, when studio staff reported that Eminem’s unreleased music had been leaked. This prompted an FBI investigation, which uncovered multiple transactions linked to Strange.
Authorities allege that Strange profited by selling the stolen songs to fan groups and private buyers. A Canadian buyer, known online as “Doja Rat,” told investigators he had paid $50,000 in Bitcoin for 25 unreleased Eminem tracks. He claimed the money was crowdfunded by Eminem fans.
Another buyer, identified only as “ATL” from Connecticut, reportedly purchased a couple of tracks for around $1,000.
Investigators also discovered that Strange had attempted to sell Eminem’s handwritten lyric sheets, further raising suspicions about the extent of his alleged theft.
Strange now faces charges of copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods, carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted.
His attorney, Wade Fink, has dismissed the accusations as “untested allegations”, stating that his client—a married father of two with decades of experience in the music industry—intends to fight the case in court.
“We have great faith in the judges of our district,” Fink said, emphasizing that Strange has yet to be indicted by a grand jury.
Meanwhile, Eminem and his team have not publicly commented on the case, but his business associate Fred Nassar previously warned fans against sharing the leaked tracks online.
The case underscores growing concerns over music piracy, intellectual property theft, and the underground market for unreleased songs in the digital age.
