Legendary rapper’s longtime sound engineer accused of leaking songs

An ex-sound engineer who used to work for Eminem for 14 years was charged on Wednesday in connection with allegedly leaking and selling more than 25 unreleased songs in January.
Joseph Strange, 46, who worked at Eminem’s Ferndale, Michigan recording studio from 2007 to 2021, was charged with criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods concerning the sale of unreleased music, as noted in a press release.
Strange was let go by Eminem in 2021. The complaint notes that Strange was one of four employees who had access to the leaked songs while working for the rapper. The songs were created between 1999 and 2018.
The FBI identified several individuals who had purchased the unreleased song, including one who goes by Doja Rat. They allegedly worked with a group of fans online to pay Strange $50,000 in Bitcoin.
Eminem’s spokesperson provided a statement to Variety reiterating the damage unfinished material can cause.
“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,” said the statement. “We will continue to take any and all steps necessary to protect Eminem’s art and will stop at nothing to do so.”
If convicted on the charge of criminal copyright infringement, Strange faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison if charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods.
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@