Though Eminem has spent the last 20 years building a storied career, even icons can’t dodge betrayal from those closest to them. One of the rapper’s former employees at his Effigy recording studio, Joseph Strange, is now facing serious federal charges after being caught stealing and trying to sell unreleased records from Eminem’s collection.
Strange, 46, a former audio engineer, worked at the Effigy Studios in Ferndale, Mich., from 2007 to 2021. He abused his access to the studio to swipe more than two dozen unreleased Eminem songs that covered nearly two decades of work from 1999 through 2018, the authorities said.
The purloined tracks weren’t simply left lying out. According to reports, they were stored on password-protected hard drives in a locked studio safe, making the breach even more concerning.
Federal prosecutors allege that Strange did not hoard the pilfered material, but he profited from it. He allegedly sold unreleased songs to buyers, including a Canadian individual who goes online as “Doja Rat,” for about $50,000 worth of Bitcoin. The buyer then uploaded the tracks to websites such as Reddit and YouTube in January 2025, causing an uproar in Eminem’s fanbase.
The ruse crashed after Effigy Studio employees identified the leaked tracks and immediately informed the FBI. An investigation by federal agents would follow, and they executed a search warrant at Strange’s home. What they discovered was staggering: thousands of audio files, handwritten lyric sheets, and even an unreleased Eminem music video.
Now Strange is facing some serious legal trouble. He was charged with criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen property. If convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to 15 years in prison, 5 years for copyright infringement, and an additional 10 for transporting stolen goods across state lines.
Eminem’s team wasted no time condemning the betrayal. His spokesman, Dennis Dennehy, said it was not an attack on Eminem himself but a blow to the entire creative community that contributed to his music.
“The devastating harm inflicted upon Eminem’s artistic legacy and creative integrity by a trusted employee is immeasurable, as are the exorbitant financial damages suffered by the many creators and collaborators whose decades-long work merits protection,” Dennehy said. “We will always take whatever steps are necessary to protect Eminem’s art, and that will not change.”
Unreleased music leaks are an old industry problem: Kanye West had unreleased tracks leak out, as did Playboi Carti and the late Juice WRLD, just in the last few years. But this case hits hard for Eminem from someone who once had trusted access to his creative vault.
Fans and industry insiders alike will be watching closely as the case unfolds. If nothing else, this situation is a sharp reminder that even in the music world, trust can’t be assumed and that the price of betrayal may be steep.
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