Eminem Condemns ‘Damage’ to Legacy After Former Employee Is Charged With Leaking His Music

Eminem condemned “damage” to his legacy following a former employee being charged with leaking the rapper’s music.

“We will continue to take any and all steps necessary to protect Eminem’s art and will stop at nothing to do so,” the “Not Afraid” rapper’s spokesperson said in a statement to People on Wednesday, March 19.

Joseph Strange, a former engineer at Eminem’s Ferndale, Michigan recording studio, was charged with criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods in Detroit on Wednesday.

“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,” the hip-hip icon’s spokesperson 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.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office worked with Eminem’s management team to identify the source of the leak after more than 25 songs were posted online without consent. The tracks were recorded between 1999 and 2018, and were in various stages of production.

A Canadian national told federal investigators they paid $50,000 in Bitcoin to purchase the stolen music, after crowd-sourcing funds with fans of the rapper (real name: Marshall Mathers).

During their investigation, federal investigators discovered one specific image was being used to illegally market the sale of Eminem’s leaked music. Investigators were eventually able to match that image with an identical file on a password-protected hard drive at the Ferndale studio.

Strange could face as much as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his criminal copyright infringement charge if he is convicted, while the interstate transportation of stolen goods charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“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,” Julie Beck, Acting U.S. Attorney Beck, said on Wednesday.

Strange’s attorney, Wade Fink, told The Associated Press on Wednesday his client is facing “untested charges” because they have not yet been evaluated by a judge or jury.

“We will handle the matter in a courtroom and we have great faith in the judges of our district,” the lawyer said.

Fink described Strange as a married father of two who has shown “with decades of dedication to the music industry.” He was fired from Eminem’s studio team in 2021.

The case was investigated by the FBI Oakland County Resident Agency and will be tried in a federal court in Detroit.

“This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding artists’ intellectual property from exploitation by individuals seeking to profit illegally,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said.

“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.”

Eminem, age 52, released his 12th studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) in July 2024. The concept album – which pits Mathers against his Slim Shady alter-ego – topped the Billboard Top 200 chart and spawned the hit singles “Houdini” and “Somebody Save Me.”