Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin: The Most Mysterious Album in Hip-Hop Just Got a New Twist
The legend of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan’s secretive, one-of-a-kind album, continues to grow nearly a decade after its existence first made headlines. Its journey from artistic statement to federal property to digital NFT commodity is one of the most infamous sagas in hip-hop history. And now, thanks to new documents revealed by Bloomberg, fans finally know how much it was originally sold for when the U.S. government seized it.
After disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in 2017, the Department of Justice took possession of the lone copy of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, which he had purchased for a reported $2 million. The album was stuck in legal limbo for years—until 2021, when NFT and cryptocurrency collective PleasrDAO acquired it. But they didn’t buy it directly from the government. Instead, they purchased it from an intermediary, and until now, no one knew exactly how much that intermediary paid the DOJ.
According to newly obtained government records, the intermediary company, WTC Endeavours Limited—a Hong Kong-based firm created solely for the transaction—paid exactly $2,238,482.30 for the album. That was the precise amount Shkreli owed the government in restitution at the time. The documents, secured through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by investigative journalist Jason Leopold, included the bill of sale, legal terms, photos of the album, and email correspondence surrounding the transaction. It took over two years of follow-up requests, but Leopold finally received an unredacted copy of the paperwork in July 2025.
The release restrictions surrounding Once Upon a Time in Shaolin remain in place. Under the terms of the sale, no commercial duplication or public release of the album is permitted until the year 2103. Private listenings are allowed, just as they were under Shkreli’s ownership. But PleasrDAO, ever creative in the web3 space, found a unique workaround with input from Wu-Tang Clan members in 2024.
They turned it into an NFT.
Through a novel pricing mechanism, fans can pay to “unlock” the album 88 seconds at a time for every dollar contributed. At the current pace, the full public release of the album would cost nearly $30 million—far more than any previous sale price. While some see it as an innovative fusion of art, tech, and fan engagement, others see it as yet another frustrating barrier between the music and the people it was made for.
Despite the mystery surrounding Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan hasn’t disappeared from the spotlight. The group officially wrapped up their final tour on July 18 in Philadelphia, with all remaining core members in attendance. But that doesn’t mean they’re done. More Wu-Tang projects are in the pipeline, including a documentary and a video game that will continue to cement their legacy.
Whether fans ever get to hear the legendary album in full remains to be seen. But the myth of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin continues to grow—alongside Wu-Tang’s status as one of hip-hop’s most enduring and enigmatic forces.
