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Unreleased Michael Jackson Music Found In Abandoned LA Storage Unit

December 17, 2024

Gregg Musgrove, a former California Highway Patrol officer turned treasure hunter, recently stumbled upon an incredible find that even he could never have imagined.

Inside an abandoned storage unit in the San Fernando Valley, Musgrove uncovered a treasure trove of cassette and DAT tapes containing 12 unreleased Michael Jackson tracks, recorded during the late 1980s and early 1990s before the release of Jackson’s Dangerous album.

Unreleased Michael Jackson music was found in an abandoned storage unit in LA pic.twitter.com/yN2GEuW2ym

— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) December 13, 2024

Musgrove’s journey to this extraordinary discovery began when an associate contacted him about a storage unit he had purchased in Van Nuys. The unit was previously owned by a music producer. As Musgrove sifted through the unit’s contents, he came across the tapes, which he quickly realized were not just ordinary recordings.

“I’m listening to this stuff, and I would get goosebumps because nobody’s ever heard this stuff before,” Musgrove told The Hollywood Reporter. “To hear Michael Jackson actually talk and kind of joke back and forth, it was really, really cool.”

Among the tapes is a track titled “Truth on Youth,” which appears to be a rap duet between Jackson and LL Cool J.

15 tapes of unreleased Michael Jackson songs found in California

The recordings had been gathering dust in a storage unit belonging to the artist's producer, Bryan Loren. They were accidentally discovered by a highway patrol officer who recently purchased the unit.

The songs… pic.twitter.com/0RIl5gRSZo

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 13, 2024

Despite the priceless nature of the find, it’s unlikely that fans will ever get to hear these rare recordings. After consulting with an attorney, Musgrove approached the Jackson Estate with the tapes. The estate declined to purchase them but issued an official letter confirming that they do not claim ownership of the physical tapes themselves.

However, the estate emphasized that they retain the copyright to the recordings and compositions, making it clear that these songs can never be released to the public.

Musgrove told the Hollywood Reporter that he plans to bring the tapes to an auction house in the near future.