The rap god thought his unreleased bars were buried. But in January, 14 tracks from Eminem’s private stash surfaced online—and now the FBI has hit back.
💿 Leak Hits the Net
January 12, 2025: fourteen unreleased songs—believed to be part of *Straight From The Lab, Part 3*—went viral. Ripped from password-locked hard drives in Em’s Detroit studio, the bootleg collection hit fans like a beat drop from above.
🚨 Inside Job—FBI Cracks Down
No hacker drama—it was an inside job. Studio engineer Joseph Strange allegedly sold tracks to private collectors via crypto. The FBI charged him in March under copyright and federal theft laws.
🔥 What’s at Stake?
- These tracks date from 2019–2020—Em’s low-profile but creatively fierce period.
- Label insiders confirm these joints were never meant for public ears, calling them “not for consumption.”
- The leak cracks open major questions: How safe is an artist’s vault in the digital age?
🎙️ Em’s Response
Shady Records hit the scene fast, calling out the leak and backing federal enforcement. Now it’s a legal showdown where beats meet bureaucracy.
This isn’t just a leak. It’s a wake-up call: even rap royalty isn’t secure behind the curtain.