Even the most gifted marketing manager couldn’t have dreamt up the publicity and constant media attention that Wu-Tang Clan‘s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin has received. The news that a sole physical copy of the album was auctioned off for $2 million was enough to ensure some coverage of a neat marketing gimmick, but the fact that the ultimate buyer turned out to be the greatest comic book villain of our time has blasted attention levels into unchartered waters.
Any publicity is good publicity right? Well, sadly for RZA and putrid pharma personality Martin Shkreli, that’s not exactly the case. They are the targets of a brand new lawsuit, this time at the hands of artist Jason Koza, who is seeking damages and profits from the album for what he claims is the unauthorised use of artwork which depicts the Wu-Tang members in all their glory.
According to Mr Koza, he was informed that his artwork would only be housed on a Wu-Tang blogspot site. The artwork however, in some way or another, managed to sneak it’s way into the one-off album that has now gone down in hip-hop folklore.
Image courtesy of HipHopDX.
For Martin Shkreli, this is the latest in a string of high-profile Wu-Tang related incidents, the most fascinating of course being the public back and forth between the wily weasel and Ghostface Killah, who have flung threats and verbal barbs at one another via horribly produced videos, neither of which have resulted in any physical ramifications.
With all the legal furore surrounding the album, you have to wonder if Wu-Tang Clan are regretting the decision to make a spectacle of their album sale at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194
Image courtesy of FactMag.
Everyone’s favourite shit-bag pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli is embroiled in yet more legal trouble, this time relating to his $2 million purchase of the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.
Notoriously dubbed the ”most hated man in America”, Shkreli is the man responsible for hiking up the price of Aids/HIV medication Daraprim by a ridiculous 5000%. A man so deplorable Donald Trump deemed him ”disgusting”, and Howl & Echoes even paid homage by naming an Anti-Award after him for being, well, the worst fucking guy in the world.
Last week Shkreli was arrested for security fraud, with the FBI alleging that he ”defrauded investors in his hedge fund to hide poor investment choices.” The security fraud charges add up to $65 million worth of misappropriated funds. Now according to TMZ, Shkreli could have his assets seized if it is proven in court that they were purchased with said money. If found guilty and if seized, he will only be able to say that he owned Once Upon A Time, once upon a time.
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 17: Martin Shkreli (C), CEO of Turing Pharmaceutical, is brought out of 26 Federal Plaza by law enforcement officials after being arrested for securities fraud on December 17, 2015 in New York City. Shkreli gained notoriety earlier this year for raising the price of Daraprim, a medicine used to treat the parasitic condition of toxoplasmosis, from $13.50 to $750 though the arrest that happened early this morning does not involve that price hike. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
At the time of his arrest the FBI tweeted, ‘’no seizure warrant at the arrest of Martin Shkreli today, which means we didn’t seize the Wu-Tang Clan album.” However, the prized asset is now likely to be used against him, with the money used to pay off the restitution judgement in the case.
In the wake of Shkreli’s purchase of the album, Wu-Tang leader RZA publicly condemned him in the press while trying to distance himself from the matter, “The sale of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was agreed upon in May, well before Martin Shkreli’s business practices came to light. We decided to give a significant portion of the proceeds to charity.” Shkreli shooting back that the rap collective ought to show him some ‘’fucking respect’’.
It is not the first time Shkreli has been embroiled in a spat within the music industry though. Three months ago Collect Records ended their association with him after his despicable act went public.
There’s more reading on Martin Shkreli here.
I’ll be honest: I’m glad it was Martin Shkreli who purchased Wu-Tang Clan‘s one-off album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. It permits me write about him on Howl & Echoes and for that I am grateful.
Today we have been blessed with the news that Shkreli has been arrested by the FBI on charges of securities fraud. The SEC has also charged him with “defrauding investors in his hedge fund to hide poor investment choices.”
The 32-year-old was arrested at his Manhattan home, having allegedly used stock from biotechnology company Retrophin Inc., to pay off debts from other business ventures.
Since founding Retrophin in 2011, Shkreli had been sued and fired by its board “because of serious concerns about his conduct.” FBI prosecutors are claiming more than US$11 million was lifted from the company, while the SEC have claimed that Shkreli took $120 000 from one fund to spend on clothes, rent and other personal expenses, and in 2013 he stole $900 000 to pay off legal debts. He also promised yet another fund that they had $35million in assets, when truthfully they had less than $7000. Bloomberg have outlined even more of his movements here.
Skhreli shot to immediate infamy this year when he hiked the price of Daraprim, a drug used in HIV and malaria treatment, up by literally 5000%. Donald Trump called him “disgusting”, Bernie Sanders refused to accept donations from him, and he has overall been dubbed the “most hated man in America”.
Genius protestors pouring cat litter onto Shkreli like the piece of shit he is.
Then the news emerged that he had bought Wu-Tang’s album for a cool $2 million. No one seemed particularly happy about it. One of the many voicing their concern was RZA himself, who issued this statement, “The sale of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was agreed upon in May, well before Martin Skhreli’s [sic] business practices came to light. We decided to give a significant portion of the proceeds to charity.”
Shkreli, not understanding the difference between buying an item and buying the person who created it seemed to feel betrayed by this statement and essentially used the aforementioned interview to make physical threats against RZA as well as reference his Albanian heritage and temper, here’s a taste. “This is starting to get into some weird Albanian shit,” he warned HipHopDX. “There are similarities, very similar. I’m just getting fed up. If he doesn’t think I have the resources to do something, he fucking doesn’t know me. If Ghostface can make people disappear, what the fuck do you think I can do? I’ll fucking snap the CD on fucking TV and not even listen to it if that’s what he fucking wants.”
“To me, what I’m doing right now in the media,” Shkreli said. “Raising prices, all this shit, believe what you want, but it’s interesting. It gets people talking. At the end of the day, that’s what art is.”
He also went on to detail how he plans to bail Bobby Shmurda out of prison in exchange for him recording an album, and a grand series of plans with a clear intention to identify himself as a serious player within hip-hop. He also revealed that he has purchased Tupac’s manuscripts at an auction. “I hope I’m accepted [in the hip-hop community], for sure. Like you said, you need swag to pull off the shit I pulled off. To even have Trump call you a spoiled brat. Donald-fucking-Trump called me a spoiled brat. That takes someone special, I think.”
We’ll keep you updated on his movements.
Once again, fuck you Martin Shkreli.
#Breaking no seizure warrant at the arrest of Martin Shkreli today, which means we didn't seize the Wu-Tang Clan album.
— FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) December 17, 2015
Pharmaceuticals CEO and altogether terrible person, Martin Shkreli has been in the public eye for some time now. He caused considerable uproar earlier this year after raising the price of a life-saving drug by a whopping 5,000 percent, and in recent times he’s been stirring up commotion in the hip-hop world. Just a few weeks ago, Shkreli was outed as the mysterious buyer who spent an approximate $2 million on the only copy of Wu-Tang Clan‘s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. Now, the self-proclaimed hip-hop aficionado has stated plans to bail out incarcerated Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda, according to a recent interview with Hip Hop DX.
“We’re actually in discussion to try to bail out Bobby Shmurda. Forget whether you think he’s guilty or not, the guy should not be sitting in jail right now,” He stated during the interview, “He deserves a fair trial. He deserves good lawyers. He doesn’t have good lawyers. His label is hanging him out to dry and so I have a conference call tomorrow morning with them (December 15). I’ll show up with $2 million bail money no fucking problem.”
However, he’s not doing all this for free. If all goes to plan and the money he throws at the case sees Shmurda walk free, Shkreli expects his plan to become lucrative.
“Look, the guy’s going to have to record for me if he comes out. I’ll just come out and say it. If I’m gonna post his bail, pay for his trial, get him a “Not Guilty” verdict… With the right lawyer, it’s just a matter of money. I see opportunity. The guy’s going to be more popular when he’s out. The guy probably didn’t do shit.”
Bobby Shmurda was arrested on gun charges and gang conspiracy in December 2014, with his bail set at $2 million. His next court appearance is in January, and his trial is set to begin in February.
It’s almost certain that we will be hearing more of Martin Shkreli’s exploits in the hip-hop world in the months to come. While there’s no word on whether or not he will be releasing Wu-Tang’s record for all of us to hear, at least we can rejoice in knowing that the group will be coming down under in just over two months. Maybe Shkreli should listen to the words of Wu-Tang before he really pisses someone off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpQmFfdYFzY
Legendary hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan have just announced Australian tour dates for early 2016. While members have visited the country for solo tours in recent years, this marks the first Wu-Tang Aussie outing since 2011.
For a hip-hop group well into their third decade of existence, Wu-Tang Clan have managed to keep themselves strongly in the media for a lifespan that far extends most rap groups. Members including GZA, Raekwon, Method Man and Ghostface Killah have sported successful solo careers, RZA has lent his hand to films, education and much more, GZA has been vocal about the state of hip-hop and science, Method Man has reminded the world that the Ladies Love Cool Wu-Tang, and Ghostface has made no secret of his issues with contemporary rappers ripping his flow. Of course, the biggest Wu news this year was the release of two albums: first was the highly-anticipated but ultimately disappointing studio release A Better Tomorrow. Second, was the [allegedly] $2 million sale of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, a one-of-a-kind release, privately sold to the pharmaceutical equivalent of Dr Evil (more on Shkreli and his douchebaggery here).
Anyway, capping off one of their biggest years to date is the announcement that Wu-Tang Clan are visiting Australia in February 2016. So far only Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane dates have been announced, but hopefully further dates will be added.
Pre-sale tickets go on sale on Monday December 21 via Ticketmaster for Brisbane, and Ticketek for Sydney and Melbourne. General public tickets go on sale on Tuesday December 22.
Tues, Feb 23: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
Wed, Feb 24: Allphones Arena, Sydney
Fri, Feb 26: River Stage, Brisbane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194
Read more: Wu-Tang Again: Are Rappers Past Their Second Decade Worth The Live Show?
The OGs of the rap game are rapidly approaching middle-age, whether they, or we, like it or not. Some of them are still releasing dope albums – Scarface dropped Deeply Rooted shortly before his 45th birthday – and then there are some who are still wearing clocks around their necks. Whatever these second or third decade rappers are wearing or doing, are they still worth the money to see live?
With the recent surprise of a mysterious Wu-Tang Clan poster popping up in Melbourne this week, and subsequent rumours of an Australian tour on the cards, we had to ask ourselves; when does it become time to hang up the gold ropes, the puffy jackets, and the AKs, and stop touring?
On Lygon Street, Melbourne
I find myself having mixed feelings about this tour. One part of me wants to link my thumbs, throw the dub up, and shout, “Wu-tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to fuck wit!” The other part of me thinks I may have plans to wash my ‘fro that weekend.
But at the same time, I haven’t seen the whole Clan together or even all of the members individually, and that’s got to be something worth seeing. My hesitation comes from having seen a few OGs perform in the past few years, often with minimal effort put into the shows.
I think we are only just seeing the beginning of the OG midlife crisis tours as the end of the ’90s was 20 years ago, and what better excuse to tour than a 20th anniversary? Earlier this year, I saw Mobb Deep celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album, The Infamous. I loved The Infamous- Survival of the Fittest was my jam, and I finally got to hear that legendary beat and Havoc and Prodigy yelling, “There ain’t no such thing as half way crooks.” But that was exactly what it was, with Havoc and Prodigy yelling into their mics too close to their mouths. While I would never down play the experience of hearing that song live, I have gotten way more out of that song with a CD player, a joint, and some good mates.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIq4UTgqDAc]
It was the same when I saw The Outlaws and Snoop Dogg, and was how a friend described Public Enemy, each and everyone described as “underwhelming” at best. But in saying that, it was admittedly not the same for The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – they really did kill it.
Maybe it really is to do with their energy – 20 years on, and there is no denying most just don’t have the same energy that Childish Gambino can muster at a festival. I don’t think it is just hip-hop that suffers from old vets still touring. Take Bob Dylan, who can be utterly awful live these days, but I still paid whatever it was just to be able to look back at my life and say, of course I saw Dylan live.
It’s not necessarily the age of the performer that is important, and it isn’t the fact of their being in their 40s that is the negative. Run The Jewels‘ artists Killer Mike and El-P were both born in 1975, making them 40 this year, and they are producing some sick beats and have been dubbed one of the best live acts going around at the moment, with a relentless tour schedule to boot!
So what is it about the seasoned vets of hip-hop that has me questioning their touring relevance today? Is it their dad bodies or their lyrical content? It can definitely come down to the fact that their raps haven’t changed in 20 years. It becomes har,d and a tad try-hard, to listen to a middle-aged rapper rap about his struggles, murdering fools and selling dope, when I have seen the MTV cribs episode where his enormous house featured. As opposed to Joey Bada$$ and the other young rappers whose struggles still ring true, the tales from the Hood just don’t cut it as well anymore. But that’s what they know, that’s the raps that had them stacking paper in the ’90s and helped them to move out of the ghetto in the first place, so it’s a catch 22 of epic proportions – can you deal with this multi-millionaire rapping about killing fools and dealing crack, trying to make ends meet and fucking lots of bitches at the same time? It lacks that certain authenticity that made them so successful in the first place.
Newer rappers, from the newer guard, like RTJ, Talib Kweli and Common haven’t solely relied on biographical rhymes to build their careers. Their music seems to age better, and Talib could easily drop Thieves in the Night, and play it off as a new track. It doesn’t have any aged raps of murdering or dope dealing.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7m63nPvsQ]
Now call me Nas, for my self-proclaimed hypocrisy, but if this Wu-Tang poster turns out to be an Australia tour, you will find me in the front row, nodding my head and blocking your view, ’cause fuck it, I’m the kind of hip-hop head that has written essays for English class about the first concerts I’d go see if I had a time machine – the first is Run DMC and it pained me to hear of Jam Master Jay’s passing and to think I’d missed them. I would have given anything to see him or a 45-year-old Tupac giving Melbourne a middle finger in 2015.
It’s impossible to tell some of hip-hop’s legends that maybe they should move into commentating and just let the new kids play. Besides, the example set by other genres suggests that 40 is still young, and as long as the fans say ‘go’, maybe the Keith Richards and Bob Dylans of the rap world will still be touring long after their bodies say ‘stop’.
Are we saying they should be releasing new albums to reflect their successful lifestyles? Not exactly, although we won’t say no to a new Wu-Tang album. But, we are saying, if they can’t be bothered and they know they’re going to do the show half-assed, isn’t it better to preserve fans’ images of you going out on top, instead of paying a lot of money to see you sweat it out and sip water on stage, clearly struggling to get through the set? Now that’s nothing to fuck with.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEnwXYJcSZc]
It’s been revealed that Martin Shkreli, arguably, nay, absolutely one of the worst men in the world, is the mystery buyer of Wu-Tang Clan‘s one-off album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.
As you almost certainly know, Wu-Tang Clan released a one-of-a-kind album this year. Once Upon A Time In Shaolin was sold by an auction house for what we now know to be two million dollars. It came in a fancy box, it came with fancy decorations, fancy speakers, and a fancy contract stipulating that nobody else would be allowed to commercially hear the album for 88 years (although the contract did change to say that it could be released for free or heard at listening parties in that time).
Howl & Echoes recently reported that the final sale had officially gone through, to an unknown buyer, for an undisclosed price. The details have now been revealed and we’re sad to announce that there’s literally nobody on Earth deserves this album less than the person who bought it. Martin Shkreli.
If there is a curious gap in your favorite artist's discography, well, now you know why.
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 9, 2015
Live streaming. Talking music, drugs and stuff. May play something special.https://t.co/Ez8X7Bon7v
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 9, 2015
(Note: besides music, this editor’s primary life passion is writing about the trials and tribulations of the pharmaceutical industry, so just let her vent for a moment.)
Here’s a little run down of Martin Shkreli’s year of evildoing:
In early 2015, Skhreli founded a small pharmaceutical company, Turing Pharmaceuticals. In August, it was announced that he had acquired the sole rights to marketing Daraprim (pyrimethamine), a drug used in treatment of HIV, as well as malaria. It’s so necessary that it’s on the World Health Organisation’s list of Essential Medicines. Not only is it used in the prevention and treatment of malaria, but for those tested to be HIV positive.
Literally overnight, Shkreli raised the price of Daraprim, to use the technical jargon, by a metric fuck tonne. A monthly course of 75mg pills rose from $13 per pill, or $833 a month to $750 per pill. That’s $75 000 per month.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous. Tomorrow I'll lay out a plan to take it on. -H https://t.co/9Z0Aw7aI6h
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 21, 2015
A series of other stipulations were also implemented, including the prohibition of wholesale purchasing, and forcing outpatients to purchase the medication through only one pharmacy dispensary (Walgreens) largely in attempt to prevent the manufacture and development of generic (read: same but much much cheaper) versions of the drug.
When criticised (which he was, obviously, a lot) on the price hike, Shkreli said, “If there was a company that was selling an Aston Martin at the price of a bicycle, and we buy that company and we ask to charge Toyota prices, I don’t think that that should be a crime.”
Aston Martins are not comparable to essential medication that saves thousands of lives. They’re just not.
To put things into perspective, the exact same medication is offered in other countries for other prices. In India, more than a dozen version of the drug are available, ranging from US$0.04-0.10 each. GlaxoSmithKline (who used to hold the patent in the USA) market the drug in the UK for US$0.66 per pill, and it’s US$0.02 in Brazil.
This is a man so evil that Donald Trump himself called him disgusting.
This is a man that the rest of the pharmaceutical industry (not exactly the most caring, loving, honest, well-intentioned bunch) have turned on. GlaxoSmithKline CEO Andrew Witty, used the term “disturbing” when discussing the price hike.
Leonard S Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron said, “We do some pretty crappy things… [but] he’s not in the same business as we are.”
Trump on Martin Shkreli/aids drug :"He looks like a spoiled brat to me. He's a hedge fund guy. I thought it was disgusting what he did"
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) September 23, 2015
As you’d expect, Wu-Tang Clan are pretty pissed off, and have been quick to respond to criticism.
In a statement to Bloomberg, RZA explained that the sale went through before Shkreli’s actions were revealed. “The sale of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was agreed upon in May, well before Martin Skhreli’s [sic] business practices came to light. We decided to give a significant portion of the proceeds to charity.”
The worst thing about it is that Shkreli simply doesn’t care. He’s completely self aware, he knows how hated and evil he is. He doesn’t give a fuck about anything. “I was a little worried that they were going to walk out of the deal,” he told Bloomberg. “But by then we’d closed. The whole kind of thing since then has been just kind of ‘Well, do we want to announce it’s him? Do we not want to announce it’s him?’ I think they were trying to cover their butts a little bit.”
He went on the shrug off any worries about what fans may think. “At the end of the day, they didn’t buy the last album or the one before that, and all they had to pay was $10.”
Fuck you Martin Shkreli.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194
Forbes have announced that auction house Paddle8 have sold that ‘secret’ Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, to a private collector. All we currently know is that the American collector, who is unidentified, purchased the album for an undisclosed price “in the millions”. They go on to report that while the sale was agreed on back in May, the “contracts and legal protections” for such a unique purchase have taken until now to be finalised.
Paddle8 co-founder Alexander Gilkes explained, “We pioneered a new type of intellectual property regarding the sale of a work that is simultaneously physical and digital, creating previously unexplored legal protections for a unique work that cannot be reproduced. This marks an exciting new model of distribution for the music world and we look forward to playing an ongoing role in this innovative model.”
The price (obviously) makes this the most expensive album ever sold. The record had previously been held by Jack White, who purchased Elvis Presley‘s first ever pressing earlier this year for a cool $300 000.
Although no specific details or contract stipulations have been made public, we have been led to believe that the owner must wait 88 years before publicly playing the album, which spans 128 minutes, comprised of 31 songs and spoken word skits.
RZA has stated that some of the proceeds would go to charity. “The Wu-Tang Clan have always been driven by innovation, and this marks another moment in musical history,” he said in a press release. “From the beginning, we hoped that this concept would inspire debate and new ways of seeing creativity. Both of those goals have been achieved, and the ideas continue to evolve.”
Well, we can only hope that the lucky buyer enjoys his or her new purchase. And that it was worth it.
Here’s some more photos, courtesy of Forbes.
The home of Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA is currently being investigated by authorities, over a double stabbing that occurred at the New Jersey location this Saturday morning. At this stage, police haven’t determined whether RZA was at home during the incident. Police also haven’t confirmed the home was owned by RZA, however property records show his name is listed.
New Jersey State Police responded to a report of a stabbing at RZA’s home on Deer Trail Drive at 1:18 AM earlier in the morning, according to the media. They found two men stabbed – who were then taken to University Medical Centre in Neptune to attend to their injuries.
Williams says that the two men sustained serious injuries and were subsequently taken to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, new Jersey. The ongoing investigation is being handled by Neptune’s Major Crimes Unit.
The incident follows the recent news that the FBI investigated members of the Wu-Tang Clan in 1999 for alleged involvement in two murders.
On a more positive note, RZA has been giving back to underprivileged communities, speaking to over 400 high school students in the St Louis area last month – helping spread positivity and life strategies to youth at risk in the form of a chess program.
Remember Guess Who? That fun, but when you reflect on it, really quite strangely regressive board game where you identify people according to their typical facial features, and their generic names like Alfred and Stephen? Of course you do. Well, the classic kids game has now received a hip hop treatment: someone has created a version entirely based on the Wu-Tang Clan and affiliates.
Cleverly titled Guess Wu, the game was conceived by the folks over at Noisey, Vice’s music page. Even more cleverly, they’ve titled it “the world’s first rap game”.
it’s not the first time that a company has re-branded the game, which was first created in 1979. Marvel, Star Wars and Disney have all dipped their fingers into the Guess Who pot. We can only assume that this is first time it’s forayed into the hip hop world. The game comes with 48 pictures of “Wu-Tang affiliated rappers” and two playing boards – but for those who aren’t lucky enough to score an actual copy, the page suggests that you can simply print off the cards and sticky tape them on to your current version, most likely sitting in a dusty pile in your attic.
Man, would this make one damn fine Christmas present for any Wu-loving head out there.
Head to Noisey for the full instructions on how to play the ultimate board game, Guess Wu. Highlights include: whoever can rap all of C.R.E.A.M without stopping goes first, and the loser has to dance to Fantasy (Remix) by Mariah Carey and Ol Dirty Bastard’ “for the entire unfathomable 5 minute duration, while the winner claps victoriously.”
