The knotty, complicated and often controversial backstory of Wu-Tang Clan’s coveted, one-of-a-kind Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album just got a little bit more, well … knotty, complicated and controversial.
In a newly published investigative piece by Bloomberg, the publication spoke with a number of those closest to the famed rap group, with all of them suggesting that the 31-track, double CD that was sold to Martin Shkreli – the infamous and widely ostracized former pharmaceutical executive – for $2 million in 2015, is not in fact an official Wu-Tang Clan album.
Bloomberg’s piece begins with a comment from Killa Sin, the Wu-Tang Clan affiliate and member of the Staten Island-based Hip Hop group Killarmy who is currently serving a 16-years-to-life sentence at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. The rapper, who throughout his career has appeared on a number of records with Method Man, RZA, Ghostface Killah and more, recalled recording a string of verses for Cilvaringz (the producer behind the album) a few years ago, before his arrest and subsequent incarceration.
“The way he presented it, was it was going to be basically his album, and he wanted me to do some work for him,” Killa Sin told Bloomberg of his recording session with Cilvaringz, seemingly not knowing that his work was intended for the now-famous Wu-Tang Clan album.
It isn’t only Killa Sin who has suspicions surrounding the cagey nature of the project, either.
“It’s not an authorized Wu-Tang Clan album. It never was,” insists Domingo Neris, the manager of U-God, a founding member of the group.
The manager of Method Man, James Ellis, said: “When we did the verses, it was for a Cilvaringz album. How it became a Wu-Tang album from there? We have no knowledge of that.”
Shyheim Franklin, another Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who has previously performed live with the likes of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., also shared a similar account. He remembers recording with Cilvaringz around five years ago in Staten Island.
“He did mention it being a project he was trying to produce with everyone on it,” Shyheim, who is currently serving 14 years behind bars for second-degree manslaughter, told Bloomberg. “There wasn’t the assumption that it would be a Wu-Tang album.”
While he declined to comment on the aforementioned claims, Cilvaringz did release the following statement to Bloomberg.
“The album and its concept were an evolutionary process that spanned six years, too complex to explain in a soundbite. All participating Wu-Tang artists were paid in advance while RZA and I bore the financial risk of the project.”
The project’s current owner, Martin Shkreli, also declined to comment explicitly on the claims, instead replying via email with a simple “hahahahahahahahahahahaha,” before lambasting Bloomberg LP as an “overpriced, legacy software system that subsidizes a money-losing media company.”
It is worth noting that while Shkreli, at the time of publishing, is the current owner of the album, but that is likely to change when his eBay listing of the LP ends later tonight (September 15). The current bid stands in excess of $1 million.
The claims also differ to what RZA and Cilvaringz said when they were auctioning the album in March 2015: “The album was recorded in secret with the members not knowing the exact outcome,” RZA said at the time, according to Bloomberg. “But when we announced it to them that this was the plan, everybody agreed that this was a very unique idea.”
Domingo Neris, the manager of U-God, later put forward his own account of what he believes happened. He says that, over a number of years, Cilvaringz collected numerous verses from Wu-Tang members, and later pieced them all together to make Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
“We’re very detailed about the quality and how we put our best foot forward,” Neris said. “We would never have authorized anyone to put together a project and call it a Wu-Tang Clan record without us ever looking at it, hearing it, or being in the same room together. That’s just the way these guys work.”
U-God claims that he hasn’t yet been compensated for his contributions to the album. As a result, the rapper sued Wu-Tang Productions Inc. and RZA last year. His manager says that the case is still pending.
Well damn. How’s about that!
they are just tryna lower it’s worth on the market so some Bloomberg investor jevv can buy it for cheap and then the media will come up with new ‘evidence’ aka some statement from the Wu how the album is actually a Wu album indeed which results in it’s worth going up again
What exactly is your problem with Jevvish people? You constantly bash them in all of your simple minded posts. Did one of them smash your mom and forced you to watch and now you have a half brother that is half Jevvish?
So they did a compilation n fooled the world saying its a wu tang album…i can’t knock the hustle but dayum…they coulda swapped out better tomorrow so the world wouldn’t hear that n gave us this dope sounding compilation w everybody on it. Im just saying tho.
Like I said GW … RZA the guy who makes the final decision on anything involving the name wutang clan has taken that symbol for profit use rather than integrity. Remember when Wu-tang was hip hop? shit I almost forgot cause of all the nonsense this man has cosigned with a W symbol on it the last few years. this man let his producing acting & $$$ all get to his head. The abbott was once really for the culture but I seriously can’t remember the last time it was about hip hop and not money with him. straight up oh and DX fuck you guys for deleting my comment!!!! DX yall dick ride way to much be for the culture not the money.. AND STOP DELETING MY COMMENTS. yall should appreciate someone telling it like it is pussies.
What are you talking about? RZA made no money off the last Wu-Tang album, he was the one who tried to put it together. Had nothing to do with money. Newbie
mannnn I’m the biggest wutang fan but lets be real… rza created but also destroyed the integrity of the W… I dare some1 to tell me I’m wrong so I can destroy them like a keyboard thug is supposed to.
I actually just started listening to the Wu recently. Im not looking to argue can you explain what you mean?
It is time for Wu to release another track off their new album! I want to see if Wu is really back on their hip hop shit.
at least Cilvaringz tried to get Wu-tang together.. its like almost impossible to get everybody together to do that, this should of inspired that but he’s in jail now
Shyheim and Killa sin are behind bars? News to me…. too bad too because both are the best!
I always dig Killa Sin’s features!!
So Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm, Legendary Weapons, Chamber Music, Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture, Wu-Tang Collective, Wu-Chronicles Vol1. & 2, compilation albums with NO BACKSTORY, should be completely dismissed as Wu-Tang Clan projects the same? No, every project is different, this shit is being looked into too much.
Once Upon A Time In Shaolin is an ambitious Wu-Tang project, regardless of the release method. I hope it’s forever the mystery box it is today, and never gets leaked.
“Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm” was my shit (excluding the holohoax propaganda track “Never again” by the jevv rapper Remedy)
You must be really broke to hate Jevvish people that much LOl!!!
Are you the same AngryAussie from YouTube with the video of “sex education with toys”. Cause that guy is a fat idiot.
Anything with Killa Sin on it is worth copping. He really shoulda been on the original squad. Technically proficient so many emcee categories. Can’t stay outta the pen tho..damn!
I been telling u newbs since this dropped, this was a Cilvaringz album and featured mostly affiliates, I saw the process as he was letting the fans input on certain things and then marketed as a 1 off wu tang album when he couldn’t get enough pre orders to make his money back from buying verses. .
Of course after all this and MONTHS later suddenly it isn’t “a real Wu album because an A-hole bought it.
This is an official Wu Tang album because A…Wu Tang members are supposedly all on the album and B…RZA was heavily promoting the album as a Wu Tang album. If it looks like a Wu Tang album, sounds like a Wu Tang album, and was promoted by Wu Tang’s leader as a Wu Tang album then it must be an official Wu Tang album.
RZA knew nothing about this album until it was completed, the only reason he attached his name to it is because Cilvaringz came up with the million dollar idea. This is just a Cilvaringz compilation, he paid for verses from rappers and they sent them to Morocco or wherever the fuck Cilvaringz lives now. Isn’t it funny that the exact same album LITERALLY had less then 20 pre orders for a $20 album but as soon as they say its a 1 off million dollar album everyone is going crazy to hear it. lol. suckas
I’m g@y for Jevvish d*cks.
Don’t cry, Shlomo. Oy Vey!
Lol, broke nega.
A Wu-Tang compilation album and a Wu-Tang album are not the same thing. When guys are all laying verses separately, not in studio together, not privy to the concept or layout of the album, and basically just cutting and pasting verses, that is not a real album. That’s why compilation albums suck. There’s no chemistry. It’s like an episode of a sitcom where they just show scenes of previous episodes. It’s not official. Furthermore, I bet it’s weak. Cilvaringz is an OK producer, nothing more.
I can guarantee that this album is waaaay better than “A Better Tomorrow”. I have more faith in Cilvaringz than Rza circa 2016
Free KIlla SIn! Keep your head up…peace
I’ve BEEN saying this. Cilvaringz talked about this album on WuTangCorp.com (which he ran) almost 10 years ago and said he would never release it until he got what it was worth and that since it sounded like 1995 that it could never become dated. Obviously no one was interested in it until RZA attached himself to it.
It is a Wu-Tang album. Somebody just spilled the beans on Reddit and then quickly deleted the post. RZA was always involved from the get go but according to the dude on reddit who claimed to have been part of the recording sessions said they figured that a too obvious involvement from RZA would complicate things more than make it easier. Which is exactly what happened with A Better Tomorrow. I think RZA and Cilvaringz knew exactly what they were doing and had to make some morality choices. Record it in secret for the benefit of getting it done, or play ball with everyone and potentially see it all go in the water. Hard to say which one is better.