Wu-Tang Clan’s one-of-one album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, was bought by “pharma bro” Martin Skreli for $2 million. After Skreli was arrested on federal fraud charges and has all his assists seized by the government, the status of the album became uncertain.
Wu-Tang Clan doesn’t comment publicly on the album very often, but RZA recently admitted in an interview that he checks on the album ever day. He also said he’s tried some times to repurchase the album, but a legal stipulation has made it next to impossible.
“I’ve actually tried to get it back, but the paperwork and the contract stops me from getting it back,” he said. “When (Shkreli) put it on eBay, the first thing I did was call my lawyer, and I was like, ‘Yo, let’s go.’ And they said, ‘All right, check with your contract.’ And it’s no; you can’t do it. Ain’t that a b**ch?”
In purchasing the album in 2015, Shkreli contractually agreed to not resell for 88 years, and to only listen in the privacy of his home. Now that Shkreli is sentenced to serve seven years in federal prison, RZA may be able to get his hands on it.
