Once Upon a Time in Shaolin

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is a limited edition double album by the New York hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan released in 2015.

One double-LP copy of the album was made in 2014 which, along with a custom vinyl player, was stored in a vault in Morocco. The album is to be auctioned to the highest bidder through Paddle8 in early 2015.^[1] A legal agreement with the purchaser states it cannot be resold until 2103, although it can be released for free or played during listening parties.^[2] Many fans reacted negatively to this news, believing that the album would not be available to the public until 2103. Wu-Tang member Method Man spoke out against the contract, blaming fellow member RZA. RZA replied that the 88-year ban was due to his belief in Five-Percent Nation mathematical philosophies, as there were eight original members of the Wu-Tang, the digits of 2015 add up to eight, Paddle8 has eight in its name, eight is a symbol of infinity, and was used in their second album Wu-Tang Forever.^[3] Wu-Tang later released an official statement saying that, although the album is unable to be sold until 2103, the purchaser still has the right to distribute the contents online for free and to hold free listening parties.^[2]

On 3 March 2015, the album was detained at JFK Airport for three hours while border control determined the contents of the custom vinyl player.^[4]

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