The Wu-Tang Clan album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” remains a sore point for members of the group. Method Man discussed his thoughts on the project in an interview with Vanity Fair. The legendary rapper admitted that he and his fellow Wu-Tang Clan members try their best to avoid the subject.
“I thought it was a circus act,” Fawman said. “I never really talked about it with RZA; it’s an uncomfortable topic for most people, so we didn’t discuss it too much.
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is spearheaded by Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Cilvaringz. The album gained widespread attention because only one was produced. The album was auctioned for $2 million in 2015, making it the most expensive album in the world.
Notorious “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli purchased Wu-Tang’s rare album. Terms of the deal prohibit the project’s owners from releasing the project to the public until October 2103.
PleasrDAO acquired Once Upon a Time in Shaolin in 2021 for $4 million. Fans did not receive the full album as they were forced to settle for samplers created by Cilvaringz. PleasrDAO claims that for every $1 purchased, the album’s release date will be shortened by 88 seconds from its 2103 release date.
Wu-Tang Clan fans may not be willing to pay anything for this album, as the Wu-Tang Clan didn’t intentionally create “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” Method Man and other members considered the project to be a glorified compilation concocted by Cilvaringz rather than a legitimate Wu-Tang Clan album.
“We never tell how the product is made,” Method Man explained to Vanity Fair. “We were never told what it was. It was never supposed to be a Wu-Tang Clan album. We were recording and we were paid by a guy I won’t name to record a certain number of records.
He continued, “[Cilvaringz] Put all these verses, some of them old verses, into a compilation of Wu-Tang songs and sell them as singles from Wu-Tang albums and Wu-Tang albums. We all have a problem with this because that’s not how it was described to us.
PleasrDAO filed a lawsuit against Shkreli in June over “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” PleasrDAO accuses the album’s former owner of violating a confiscation order by retaining copies of the music.
