When the Wu-Tang Clan announced that they would be making a single copy of their Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album, many were disappointed to find that actually hearing the project wasn’t necessarily in the cards. See, the intention was to create a rare piece of art, one that could theoretically be placed in a museum. Though it was a difficult pill to swallow for Wu-Tang disciples, the boldness of RZA’s vision had to be respected — even begrudgingly so.
Alas, things took a dark turn when the album fell into the hands of the notorious “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, who seemed to revel in hamming it up as the villain. Before long, he was exchanging heated words with Ghostface Killah, who did not seem too thrilled at the prospect of seeing his work in the hands of such a controversial figure. Ghost’s sentiments mirrored those of the Wu-Tang fanbase. Coming to terms with never hearing Once Upon A Time In Shaolin was hard enough — knowing that Shkreli, an open disrespecter of Ghostface Killah, could play it as his leisure was a more foul beast altogether.
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The tides recently turned, however, after the incarcerated Pharma Bro was forced to forfeit the album. CNBC reports that lawyer Peter Scoolidge was charged with handling the purchase of Once Upon A Time by a new owner, who paid an unidentified price to secure the lone copy from the U.S government. The article reports that the sale was enough to cover a forfeiture judgment balance owned by Shkreli, who was on the hook for $2.3 million as of April.
In an interesting turn, Scoolidge appears confident that the mysterious buyer will be identifying themselves to the public. “I’d say in the next 30 to 60 days,” says Scoolidge. Naturally, many theories emerged surrounding the buyer’s identity, with some even speculating that the group was somehow involved in reclaiming their project. The CNBC article also acknowledges that particular narrative, citing that Scoolidge actually represented Shaolin co-producer Tarik “Cilvaringz” Azzougarh in a different album-related lawsuit.
It will certainly be interesting to see how this whole saga plays out — do you think there’s a chance we’ll ever get to hear the two-disc Once Upon A Time In Shaolin? Stay tuned for more updates, including the seemingly confirmed identification of the album’s new buyer, projected to be within 30 to 60 days.
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