The mystery behind RZA and Wu-Tang Clan's one-of-a-kind album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, is still one of the biggest question marks in hip-hop. While it was reported last month that an American collector had finally purchased the secret double-album, we now know that it was actually Martin Shkreli, who is best known for raising the price of an AIDS medicine to $750.
In a new Bloomberg Business profile, Shkreli talked about purchasing the album, and the process he went through with the group and RZA. According to the report, Shkreli was really interested in the project when he found out he would get to hang out with celebrities and rappers because of it. "We didn’t have a ton in common. I can’t say I got to know him that well, but I obviously like him," Shkreli of RZA. Previously, Skhreli purchased one of Katy Perry's guitars so that she might go out on a date with him.
Though Shkreli wouldn't say how much he paid for the album, the report indicates that the price tag was $2 million, which is a record-breaking price for an album. Interestingly enough, RZA released a statement to Bloomberg Business saying that the deal with Shkreli was done in May, months before his business practices with the raising of the AIDs drug price were revealed. "We decided to give a significant portion of the proceeds to charity," RZA said.
Though Shkreli now has the rare album in his possession, he has yet to listen to the project. "I could be convinced to listen to it earlier if Taylor Swift wants to hear it or something like that," he said. "But for now, I think I’m going to kind of save it for a rainy day." You can read the full profile here.
