RZA & Wu-Tang Clan Have A Recorded Album That Nobody Knows About, And They’re Only Selling 1 Copy?
Ready for the craziest news you’ve likely heard in 2013? Okay, here goes: Wu-Tang Clan has a new album. No, it’s not the delayed A Better Tomorrow. Instead, this 31-track, 128-minute album was allegedly recorded in the country of Morocco, according to an exclusive report by Forbes staff writer and author Zack O’Malley Greenburg.
“Somewhere on the outskirts of Marrakech, Morocco, inside a vault housed beneath the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, there sits an engraved silver-and-nickel box with the potential to spawn a shift in the way music is consumed and monetized,” O’Malley-Greenburg begins, unveiling details of a one-of-one album by the Wu-Tang Clan, produced by longtime affiliate Cilvaringz. The artwork and CD packaging was reportedly designed by esteemed artist Yahya, who has a long history of royal commissions. The said creation took a reported three months to create. The title of the Wu’s second double LP? The Wu-Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.
With RZA projecting at least a seven-figure pricetag on the album, can regular Heads hear it? Zack also writes this tidbit, “the plan is to first take Once Upon A Time In Shaolin on a “tour” through museums, galleries, festivals and the like. Just like a high-profile exhibit at a major institution, there will be a cost to attend, likely in the $30-$50 range.” To execute the plan, the album must not leak, ever. “One leak of this thing nullifies the entire concept,” says Cilvaringz, who is based in Morocco, and has previously worked with Theodore Unit, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck on an array of albums.
Go to Forbes to get some additional accounts from RZA and Cilvaringz, the only two members of the Wu-Tang Clan family tree to speak on The Wu—Once Upon A Time In Shaolin so far.
Even though RZA says this is years in the making, did Nipsey Hussle’s $100 Crenshaw mixtape set this off? Do you believe this will happen? And lastly, at present, is it worth your $30-50 to listen, via special headphones?
Related: Will There Ever Be Another Wu-Tang Clan Album? Each Remaining Member of the Wu Speaks…Candidly.