The Friday, December 13, 2024 edition of The Hollywood Reporter revealed that twelve unreleased original tracks from the late King of Pop Michael Jackson were discovered in an abandoned storage unit earlier the same year. The storage facility housing the locker was located deep in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California. The unexpected find was made by 56-year-old former California Highway Patrol officer turned stay-at-home dad, Gregg Musgrove during a “treasure hunting” venture, when an associate contacted him about a storage unit he had purchased in Van Nuys.

The batch of cassette and DAT tapes containing the unreleased Michael Jackson tracks were recorded prior to Jackson’s Dangerous album, sometime between 1989 to 1991. The storage unit previously belonged to music producer Bryan Loren. Under US law, storage units are 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, many of which are resellers seeking to cash in on rare finds like this.

Among the unreleased tracks in the find is “Don’t Believe It,” which according to the report, references rumors that would circulate about the pop star in the media when he was at the height of his fame. The style of the song is apparently consistent with the type of music Jackson was releasing during that era. On another tape, Jackson can be heard explaining the intended meaning to a song called “Seven Digits,” which references the identification number bodies receive in a morgue.

Another track, titled “Truth on Youth,” which is a rap duet between Jackson and LL Cool J. The rapper has spoken in the past about working with Jackson, confirming they had recorded music together. The song stands out because it showcases one of the rare occasions Michael Jackson sings rap lyrics during a performance.

Musgrove and his attorney approached the Jackson Estate with their findings in early 2024. He stated to The Reporter that, after doing their own research into the tapes, they declined to purchase the tapes for an unknown reason. However the Estate provided Musgrove with an official letter stating that they do not claim ownership of the cassettes. The letter states, however, that he and anyone else who might purchase the tapes down the line do not own the copyright on the recordings or the compositions, the estate does. The Jackson Estate also indicated that they have the original master versions of the majority of the recordings, in their vaults.

As of 2024, Musgrove and the team helping him believe the collectible value of the tapes to he in the seven-digit range and the group has plans to approach the four major U.S. auction houses in the near future.

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