Eminem has urged fans to avoid downloading his new album for free in a comical new public service announcement after The Marshall Mathers LP 2 leaked online six days before its official release.
The US rapper was due to unveil the project this week, but the full tracklisting for the disc began surfacing on illegal file-sharing sites on October 30, forcing Interscope Records to rush-release the album stream earlier than anticipated.
Eminem recorded a funny message for devotees calling on them to shun the leaked songs so he can benefit from their retail purchases.
In an audio post on his website, he says: "Due to a massive amount of bootlegging and constant downloading, people are no longer buying CDs so that we can get paid for our f****** work.
"They're just continuing to get songs for free ... putting music retail in a tremendous slump, causing artists such as myself to make money from record sales and be forced to tour, causing more stress, arguments with my wife, not being able to see my kids, drink more, take more pills, punch more people in the face, hate the world and end up in rehab!
