The story behind Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin packs more action than your typical blockbuster.
Last month, the infamous “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for various securities-fraud-related charges. As part of his punishment, Shkreli would be forced to forfeit more than $7.3 million in assets, which include the sole copy of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, for which he reportedly paid $2 million just two years earlier.
Now, as officials prepare to offload those goods at auction, the hip-hop legends want their precious record back. And they’re pushing some high-level connections.
Related
Ghostface Killah posted a cheery picture of himself and Method Man flanking James Comey, the towering former FBI director, along with the caption: “Workin on getting that album back from the feds.”
Wu-Tang Clan spent six years creating the 31-track double album, which hasn’t yet seen the light of day. Group member RZA already tried to buy back the ultra-rare LP, which he described as a piece of contemporary art. The valuable piece is packaged in a hand-crafted silver and nickel case and includes a 174-page book wrapped in leather. Shkreli’s lawyers, meanwhile, are said to be appealing the forfeiture order.
Looking relaxed in his backstage snap at the CBS studios, Comey is doing the rounds to promote his new autobiography, A Higher Loyalty. The New Yorker, who was fired by Donald Trump amid the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night (Ghostface and Method Man also joined Colbert for a sketch), just days after his interview on 60 Minutes fetched nearly 10 million viewers.
Check out the Instagram below.
High level summit! Tonight! #WuTangForever #Comey pic.twitter.com/EjUakcIqjl
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) April 18, 2018