A set of master recordings by Jay Z have become the subject of an extortion plot for $20 million (£11.9 million).
TMZ claims that Chauncey Mahan, a former producer from Roc-A-Fella Records who worked with Jay Z, had kept a number of master recordings in a storage facility in Northridge, California, which the record label had thought were lost.
The producer allegedly approached Roc Nation, a joint venture between Jay Z and Live Nation, and said that he would either auction the recordings or they could buy them for $100,000 (£60,000) as a “storage fee”. The parties reportedly settled for $75,000 (£44,000).
However, Jay Z’s entourage is believed to have contacted police after the settlement, describing the events as extortion, with the records worth up to $20 million (£11.9 million).
Los Angeles police are said to have detained, but not arrested Mahan, and taken posession of teh tapes until the rightful owner can be determined.
