Once Upon a Time in Shaolin – Wu-Tang Clan’s secretly recorded album, is set to go on display at an Australian gallery, giving the public a chance to listen to arguably the rarest album ever.
Housed in an ornate silver box, only a single CD copy exists and it is so rare and valuable that only a handful of ears have ever listened to it.
The record by the pioneering hip-hop group is the most expensive album ever sold and recording the album took more than six years.
It is currently on loan to Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
Over 10 days in June, MONA will host small listening parties where members of the public can hear a curated, 30-minute sample of arguably the rarest album ever
“Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is more than just an album, so I knew I had to get it into this exhibition,” said Mona Director of Curatorial Affairs Jarrod Rawlins.
Formed in Staten Island in the early ’90s, Wu-Tang Clan is attributed to have revolutionised hip-hop forever, though it is also known for its violent and sexually explicit lyrics.
“Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” was recorded in New York City and produced in Marrakesh between 2006 and 2013. It included the nine surviving members of the group, and featured pop artist Cher and Game of Thrones actress Carice Van Houten.
The group believed that the value of music had been diminished by online streaming and piracy, so they decided to adopt a 400-year-old Renaissance-style approach to music, presenting it as a commissioned commodity.
It includes a hand-carved nickel box and a leather-bound manuscript containing lyrics and a certificate of authenticity – and a legal condition that the owner cannot release the 31 tracks for 88 years.
The album, which has 31 tracks was bought by Martin Shkreli for $2 million in 2015. However, Shkreli was forced to hand it over to US prosecutors in 2018 after being convicted of defrauding investors, and it was then sold to digital art collective Pleasr.
