A question by XXL Magazine concerning the waiting period for Wu-Tang Clan’s highly anticipated Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album led to a harsh response from Method Man and a subsequent series of debunking tweets from RZA.
Yesterday (March 4), Method Man told the Hip Hop publication, “fuck that album.”
“I’m tired of this shit and I know everybody else is tired of it, too,” he said. “Fuck that album, if that’s what they are doing. I haven’t heard anything like that, but if they’re doing crap like that, fuck that album. Straight up. I’m just keeping it 100.”
Shortly after the interview was published on XXL.com, RZA took to Twitter to clarify Method’s comments.
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“Y’all misinformed homies better go roll that sHhh light that Shhh and smoke that shhh and calm down. Y’all falling for the pork in the bun,” he wrote via the social media site. “A lot of you are not listening to what is already in front of you. This has always been a Single album concept. No surprises. #new idea.”
“FYI. @methodman was misinformed by @xxl and you guys are riding a wave into rocks. Do the knowledge before you speak,” he continued.
According to the iconic rap group’s promotional website for the project, scluzay.com, the “88 years” XXL was initially referring to has to do with when the album can be commercially released – for profit.
The site states that the group “decided that the right to release the album would be transferred only after 88 years have passed.”
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The Wu’s choice to apply the number “88” is “mathematical coincidence.”
RZA explained on the site that there were eight original members of the Clan when they made “Protect Ya Neck” and “M.E.T.H.O.D Man.” The individual numbers of 2015 also add up to the number eight. The broker of this work carries the number eight in its name. The number eight on its side is a symbol of infinity and was used on the Wu-Tang Forever album.
“It’s always had great symbolic significance for us,” he says. “For us it also addresses the issue of music’s longevity in a time of mass production and short attention spans. Nothing about this record revolves around short-term gains, but rather around the legacy of the music and the statement we’re making.”
Check out RZA’s tweets below:
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(March 5, 2015)
UPDATE: Wu Tang has released an official statement regarding the “88 year” clause attached to its Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album. To clarify the misleading reports that have been circulating the Internet, the Wu states:
Only one single copy of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin was ever to be made. This has been the case since the very first announcement. A commercial release was never planned. The right to commercialize it, meaning the right to sell it en mass to the public in any form is not allowed until 88 years from now.
If the public rights were handed over now, then this would be a record deal like any other. Not the sale of a single copy. It can be exhibited publically and it can be given away for free. But it cannot be commercialized as a conventional album release until 2013. Even then, it will be the owner’s decision to release it or keep it as a single unit, not the Wu-Tang.
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For more Wu Tang coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
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