A never-before-heard version of Eminem’s Recovery track “W.T.P” has made its way online, this time with a twist: a featured verse from Yelawolf.
The leak quickly caught attention not just for its rarity, but also for the confusion it sparked. “Recovery” dropped in 2010, a year before Yelawolf officially signed to Shady Records. That timeline mismatch led some to question the track’s authenticity. Still, fans familiar with Yela’s voice and delivery believe the verse is real, and the overall sound lacks the usual artificiality that flags many AI-generated tracks.
However, not everyone is sold on the leak’s merit. Some listeners say it is easy to see why this version did not make the album, that the energy feels off, and the final cut of “W.T.P” landed in a better place without the feature.
More than anything, the leak has reopened the moral debate: is it okay to listen to music that an artist chose not to release? Commercial music often pushes for respect toward the artist’s intent (and keeping sales high), while the art world tends to treat even discarded fragments as valuable. But maybe that leniency only kicks in once the artist is no longer around, and the scraps become collectibles.
In Eminem’s case, his stance is clear: he hates leaks. Earlier this year, a man was arrested in connection with leaking unreleased Eminem tracks. The artist’s team moved quickly, and legal consequences are on the way.
With every new leak emerging on the Internet, the fans will decide for themselves, but the conversation surrounding it is far from over.
