Ever the tireless innovators, legendary hip-hop masterminds Wu-Tang Clan, have released the full details surrounding their eighth – and supposedly final – album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Speaking exclusively to The Guardian, Cilvaringaz and RZA have revealed that the album, now fully finished and ready to be unleashed upon the world, has been entirely erased – save one copy.
This mystical master copy is currently residing in a vault in Marrakesh, Morocco (no joke) ready to join its home in a cedarwood box adorned with intricate silver nickel filigree work and Wu-Tang’s legendary logo, which RZA has rightfully called “The illest album cover in the world.” The lone album is soon to be offered in a private sale via Paddle8 and it is literally the only copy.
The lucky (and presumedly much poorer) owner will own the full rights to the 31 tracks, only on the condition that they will not, in any way shape or form, “commercialise”, or in other words, sell them (and you don’t fuck with Wu-Tang, right?). Interestingly though, the owner will be allowed to release the album free of charge, presumedly through online means (torrents), that is until 2103 when the album’s copyright will run out, and it will enter the public domain – presuming it even still exists.
The grand scheme is masterful marketing for one of hip-hop’s most anticipated releases, and is also a pretty poignant statement about modern politics within music and the value of artists in an age where they are ever more plentiful, accessible and overall, cheap. The album was recorded in New York City’s Staten Island (the birthplace of Wu-Tang and referred to by them as “Shaolin”) and is billed as a return to the roots of their 1993 debut, Enter The Wu-Tang. Six years in the making, 31 tracks, and featuring all 9 members of Wu-Tang (as well as Cher, Game of Thrones star, Carice van Houten and players from FC Barcelona), Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is by-far one of the most intriguing albums to be released the year – let’s just hope we will get to hear it.
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