Murder on 8 Mile Print
Written by Keith ID651   
Tuesday, 04 January 2005 09:37

The owner of the recording studio where hip-hop rapper Eminem recorded the multimillion-selling CD, "The Slim Shady LP," was found shot to death Tuesday inside the facility, police said.

Investigators had not determined a motive in the slaying of Amjed A. (A.J.) Abdallah, said Detective Lt. Norman Raymond.

A business associate of Abdallah found the 36-year-old native of Jordan on the floor of Studio 8, Raymond said. He said police recovered three bullet casings from a .357-caliber revolver and determined that Abdallah had been shot twice.

Abdallah had likely been dead at least two days, Raymond said.

"There's a possibility of robbery," Raymond said. "People who use the studio told us to look for some fairly pricey equipment and it was missing."

Abdallah lived in a two-bedroom apartment over the two-story building on Eight Mile Road, which divides Ferndale and Detroit and inspired the title of Eminem's semi-autobiographical 2002 movie, "8 Mile."

Abdallah had not reported any threats or problems at Studio 8, and interviews with several people did not indicate that Abdallah had enemies, Raymond said.

"Everybody says he was a prince of a guy," the detective said. "He did record for rappers, gangster rap and hip-hop, but we haven''t found anyone who had any particular problem with him yet."

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, recorded his hip-hop album "The Slim Shady LP" at Studio 8 in 1997, and the album set the rapper on a path to stardom. The CD has sold nearly 5 million copies since it was released in 1999.

Grubb & Ellis, real estate firm, listed the building Dec. 15 on the eBay online auction site, asking $215,000. David Giltner, senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis, told The Detroit News last month that Abdallah decided to sell the studio because he was spending more time in New York.

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