The Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan rose to prominence in the early 1990s around the Staten Island area and quickly became one of the most influential rap groups of the era.
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Over the following decades, the rap group, originally consisting of eight members, released seven albums, many of which contained tracks that helped revolutionize the music genre.
The Creation of the Album
Following the rise of online streaming services, the surviving members of the Wu-Tang Clan were left feeling like the industry had lost its value.
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According to the BBC, they decided to take “a 400-year-old Renaissance-style approach to music, offering it as a commissioned commodity.” Thus, they got to work creating the unique masterpiece that is “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin
The album was recorded in secrecy between 2006 and 2013 in New York City. It was produced in Marrakesh by the revered RZA, and according to reports, only one physical copy of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” exists.
Source: Wikimedia
According to the BBC, “It includes a hand-carved nickel box and a leather-bound manuscript containing lyrics and a certificate of authenticity – and a legal condition that the owner cannot release the 31 tracks for 88 years.”
A Rare Egyptian Artifact
Producer RZA claims the one-of-one album resembles a rare Egyptian artifact or a piece of artwork from Picasso. “It’s a unique original rather than a master copy of an album,” he said when the album went on sale in 2015.
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Due to the rarity of the piece, only a small number of people from around the world have heard snippets of the 31 tracks.
Legal Agreement
According to reports, a single two-disc copy was created in 2015, and then all master files were deleted. At the time, a legal agreement was drawn up that stipulated future owners of the album were prohibited from using the music for commercial purposes until 2103.
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Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man later called the 88-year law “stupid.”
The Album Was Purchased for $2,000,000
In 2015, potential buyers were permitted to listen to a small 13-minute section of the album. While they eventually passed on the opportunity to buy, it later sold for $2 million.
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The disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was the first man to own the album outright. He later shared various clips on YouTube following Trump’s election victory in 2016, a feat that didn’t sit well with the rap group.
Shkreli Tries to Sell Album on eBay
Shkreli later tried to sell the rare collector’s item on eBay. While the price managed to climb as high as $1.2 million, he later backed out of the deal.
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Regarding Shkreli’s decision, RZA said, “I didn’t like the idea of him putting it on eBay.” He continued “I think he could have got more than what he paid.”
Shkreli Forced to Handover Album
After being convicted of security fraud, the “pharma bro” was sentenced to seven years in prison. As a result, he was forced to hand over the two-disc album to the US government “as a part of a $7.4 million forfeiture judgment,” according to NPR.
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The album was sold several years later to an anonymous buyer, and the final price of the sale was kept confidential.
Album Goes on Display
Little was heard of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” until a recent announcement from The Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Australia, revealed they have acquired the album on loan.
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They received permission from the digital art collective Pleasr to showcase the album during their upcoming exhibition Namedropping, according to The Guardian.
Listening Experience at Mona
The display at Mona will be the first time the album has been loaned since its original sale. The museum plans to hold free, ticket-based listening sessions in mid-June. The public will be able to listen to around 30 minutes of music from the album.
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“Every once in a while, an object on this planet possesses mystical properties that transcend its material circumstances,” said Jarrod Rawlins, Mona’s director of curatorial affairs. “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is more than just an album, so when I was thinking about status, and what a transcendent namedrop could be, I knew I had to get it into this exhibition.”
Pleasr Honored to Share Iconic Music
On the decision to loan the album to the museum, Pleasr said it was “honored to partner with Mona to support RZA’s vision for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”
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“Ten years ago, the Wu-Tang Clan had a bold vision to make a single copy album as a work of fine art. To ‘put it in an art gallery … make music become a living piece like a Mona Lisa or a scepter from Egypt’,” Pleasr said. “With this single work of art, the Wu-Tang Clan’s intention was to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and commodification of music.”