We Will Soon Know Who Now Owns the One-of-a-Kind Wu-Tang Clan Album

We should know the identity of the person who bought Wu Tang's mythical Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album within the next 60 days.

Last week, the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office announced that they sold the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, which was once owned by infamous “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli. The buyer and how much that person (or company) paid for the album was not revealed, but Shkreli's lawyer Benjamin Brafman said the sale price covered the balance of a $7.4 million forfeiture judgment Shkreli owed.

Now, we will soon find out who purchased the album. 

On Tuesday, August 3rd, Peter Scoolidge, a The New York-based lawyer, reveled that he was the person who handled the purchase for the unnamed buyer. In an interview with CNBC, Scoolidge said the lawyer “is going to identify themselves in the future... I’d say in the next 30 to 60 days.”

In the article, CNBC points out some interesting points: the fact that, in 2016, Scoolidge represented artist Jason Koza in a lawsuit against Shkreli, RZA, and Once Upon A Time In Shaolin's co-producer Cilvaringz because of the illustrations of his artwork that came along with the album. Then, in 2018, Scoolidge represented Cilvaringz in another matter around the album. So the question remains — did someone involved with the Wu-Tang buy this album from the government? 

The story of the Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album is bonkers. The one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan LP was recorded over a six year stretch and hidden away in a secret Moroccan vault.It was then sold to Martin Shkreli in 2015. A wealthy pharmaceutical businessman, Shkreli became infamous after the company he owned purchased the anti-parasitic drug Daraprim (which is often used to treat malaria and prolong the lives of HIV-positive patients) and raised its price from $13.50 per pill to $750.

Shkreli had the option to release the album for the world to hear whenever he chooses, but if he wanted to do it commercially, he would have to wait 88 years. (Shout out to the Wu-Tang Clan’s strict copyright arrangement.)  The album allegedly features appearances from the entire Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, and Cher with production from Cilvaringz.. The album, which is on a CD, is held in a silver jewel-encrusted box with a wax Wu-Tang Clan seal and leather-bound liner notes.