Wu-Tang Clan's Controversial Album Sale Subject Of New Netflix Documentary
The album was initially sold at auction for an estimated $2 million to an anonymous buyer, later revealed to be Martin Shkreli, the“pharma bro” who subsequently faced legal issues. Clan member Method Man expressed strong disapproval of the sale, stating,“Fuck that album.... When music can't be music and y'all turning it into something else, fuck that. Give it to the people, if they want to hear the shit, let them have it. Give it away free.” He has since softened his stance after finally hearing the album.
The film, executive produced by RZA and directed by Joanna Natasegara, delves into the 30-year story behind the album, focusing heavily on Dutch-Moroccan rapper-producer Tarik Azzougarh, also known as Cilvaringz, one of the project's masterminds. Azzougarh recounted his traumatic childhood and how he became involved with the Wu-Tang Clan, eventually joining the Killa Beez and producing some of their albums.
The Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album, packaged in a custom handcrafted silver box, was sold through online auctioneer Paddle8 in 2015. A key stipulation was that the buyer could not release it commercially for 88 years, though listening parties were permitted. A listening event was even held at MoMA PS1, where Complex described the record as“rich, layered, and sonically bombastic,” featuring a“rugged, hard-hitting sound” reminiscent of early Wu-Tang Clan work. ARTnews writer Dan Duray, however, noted its“unexpected samples, melodramatic horns, cheesy bits of kung-fu dialogue.”
After Shkreli's 2018 conviction for securities fraud and conspiracy, the Department of Justice sold the album. In 2021, it sold for approximately $4 million to PleasrDAO, a digital art and crypto collective. PleasrDAO's late founder, Jamis Johnson, affirmed in 2021 that“there's not a world in which we don't own this album.” The collective has since hosted several listening events, including at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania and the Angel Orensanz Center in New York, housed in a 175-year-old former synagogue.
Adrian Johnson, PleasrDAO's“chief pleasing officer” and brother of Jamis Johnson, acknowledged the collective's challenging role in managing the album. He explained,“We don't want the record to be streamed. The moment it is, it becomes another album.” Johnson added,“Everything about it is a paradox: it's for the people, but it's also highly guarded. It's quite a difficult job as stewards of this art to say, 'How can we bring it to the people but not devalue it?,' and I don't believe that keeping it locked away is right. I also don't believe making it freely available is right. So we are constantly looking for creative ways to share this with the people.”
Source: ARTnews
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