A US resident has discovered 12 ‘new’ songs recorded by the King of Pop between 1989 and 1991.
Twelve original unknown tracks from the late King of Pop Michael Jackson have been discovered in a storage unit in California, Hollywood Reporter wrote on Friday.
The unexpected find was made by former traffic police officer turned stay-at-home dad, Gregg Musgrove during a “treasure hunting” venture, when he was informed about a storage unit he had purchased in Van Nuys, California.
The unit had previously belonged to music producer Bryan Loren. Inside, Musgrove found tapes containing 12 unreleased tracks that Jackson had recorded between 1989 and 1991, before releasing his album Dangerous.
Under US law, a storage unit is considered legally abandoned 60 to 90 days after non-payment, depending on the state. At that time, the units may be auctioned off to bidders who gamble on their contents.
Musgrove stated that while some songs had been rumored or partially leaked, several are complete originals. “I’ve gone to all the fan sites. Some of them [the songs] are rumored to exist, some of them have been leaked a little bit,” Musgrove told The Hollywood Reporter. “A couple aren’t even out there in the world.”
Among the notable tracks is “Don’t Believe It,” which appears to address media rumours about the pop star. Jackson, who died in 2009 at age 50, faced controversy over accusations of sexually abusing minors. Despite the scandals and their impact on his reputation, his commercial success as an artist remains strong.
Another track, “Truth on Youth,” reportedly a duet with LL Cool J, showcases Jackson’s versatility as he rhymes alongside the iconic rapper.
Musgrove and his attorney reached out to the Jackson Estate, which has continued to capitalize on the singer’s image and music use for commercial purposes since his death, about the tapes earlier this year.
The estate reportedly conducted its own research into the recordings, but declined to purchase them for undisclosed reasons. The estate provided Musgrove with a letter clarifying that they do not claim ownership of the tapes.
They emphasised, however, that any potential buyer would not own the copyright to the recordings or compositions, as those rights remain with the estate. Consequently, the tapes cannot be released publicly.
Musgrove plans to present the tapes to major auction houses soon, potentially attracting celebrity memorabilia collectors.
