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Once Upon a Time in Shaolin

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AtticusX (talk | contribs) at 11:58, 21 November 2015 (Restore track listing per cited source). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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Once Upon A Time In Shaolin... is an ultra limited edition double album by the New York hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan made available for a single purchase in 2015. The concept to offer a musical work in a single form was invented by long time Wu-Tang affiliate Cilvaringz and was based on music exploitation as a commissioned commodity in The Baroque, Enlightenment and Renaissance age. The idea was further developed with Wu-Tang leader The RZA into a presentable concept to the public.

One double-LP exemplar of the album was made in 2014 which was stored in a vault at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. The album is to be auctioned to the highest bidder through auction house Paddle8 in early 2015.[1] A legal agreement with the purchaser states it cannot be commercially exploited until 2103, although it can be released for free or played during listening parties.[2] Many fans reacted negatively to this news, believing that the album would not be available to the public until 2103. Wu-Tang member Method Man spoke out against the 88 year commercial ban, blaming fellow member RZA and producer Cilvaringz. RZA replied that the 88-year ban was necessary to maintain the integrity of the album as a work of art and deflect any notions of a grand marketing or publicity stunt. The number of years were drawn from mathematical philosophies, as there were eight original members of the Wu-Tang Clan, the numbers of the year 2015 add up to eight, Paddle8 has eight in its name and eight being the symbol of infinity as was used on their second album Wu-Tang Forever.[3] Wu-Tang later released an official statement saying that, although the album is unable to be sold until 2103, the purchaser still has the right to distribute the contents for free and to hold free listening parties, but deemed the chances of this happening slim due to the hefty price tag of the album.[2]

The Guinness Book of Records certified the album as the most valuable album in existence, outpricing the previous most expensive records in the world held by Elvis Presley and The Quarrymen, later to be known as The Beatles.[citation needed]

On March 3, 2015, the album was detained at JFK Airport for three hours while border control determined the contents of the silver box holding the album.[4]

Track listing

References

  1. ^ Tshepo Mokoena. "Wu-Tang Clan: unique copy of album will be sold by online auction". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Wu-Tang Clan Issue Statement to Clarify 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' Release". Music Times. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  3. ^ George Palathingal (20 February 2014). "Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man slams 'stupid' release plan for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  4. ^ Baker, Soren. "Wu-Tang Clan's "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" Album Seized At Airport | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  5. ^ Matt Rasmussen. "You’ll Never Hear the New Wu-Tang Clan Album, But This Is What It Sounds Like". Complex.com. March 3, 2015. Retrieved on November 21, 2015.
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