Wu-Tang Clan's 'Once Upon A Time in Shaolin' Album Becomes Publicly Audible for First Time
Two song snippets from the one-of-a-kind album were released by podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, with Wu-Tang member Method Man hearing the project for the first time at a listening event.
What happened
The podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out published an episode featuring two audio snippets from Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon A Time in Shaolin album, which has been inaccessible to the public since its creation. The podcast, working with PleasrDAO—the crypto collective that currently owns the album—hosted a listening party where Wu-Tang member Method Man heard the album for the first time. The two snippets can be heard at timestamps 32:30 and 39:02 in the episode. Method Man's reaction to the album was: 'I do not hate this album.'
Context
The album's history explains the significance of this public release. Disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli purchased the sole copy at auction in 2015 under terms prohibiting commercial release until 2103. After Shkreli's legal troubles, the US government seized and sold the album in 2021 to PleasrDAO, which has since allowed the album to be featured at special exhibitions. The podcast release marks a rare opportunity for listeners to access content from an album that has been largely unavailable since its creation.