The RZA, the GZA, Ol Dirty Bastard (RIP), Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man. The Wu-Tang Clan, other than being not one to be fucked with, have long been at the forefront of rap and hip hop. With the New York-based group gearing up to release their first studio album in seven years, A Better Tomorrow, during the upcoming American summer, you’d forgive them for putting all their efforts into that. But now some rather curious information is emerging that the Clan have been working in complete secrecy on another new album over the course of the past decade. The double-album, entitled The Wu – Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, will feature a swathe of guest performers including, among others, Redman and members of soccer club FC Barcelona. The catch? They’re only going to press one single, solitary copy of it. Ever.
In a move that the group hopes will spark a reigniting of music’s appreciation as a pure art form, the group has commissioned Moroccan-based artist Yahya – whose work in the past has been created for royalty – to create an engraved silver and nickel box for the precious release. The band will then “tour” the album through museums, galleries and festivals the world over with strict provisions placed on preventing piracy. Heavy security will be in place to ensure no recording devices are smuggled in, and patrons will more than likely have to listen to the 31-track, 128-minute double album through headphones. Album producer Cilvaringz explains, “One leak of this thing nullifies the entire concept.”
After the group finishes touring the one-of-a-kind album, it will be sold off to one individual party with a price tag well into multimillion territory. RZA commented on the concept, “We’re about to sell an album like nobody else sold it before. We’re about to put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of music. We’re making a single-sale collector’s item. This is like somebody having the sceptre of an Egyptian king.”
Archaeological hyperbole aside, the project has the potential to revolutionise the way music can be delivered. Of course, this is totally dependent on the eventual successful buyer maintaining the spirit of the release and preserving its scarcity. But with serious money to be made from the mysterious allure of this project alone, it’s hard to see that happening.
Photo: Scott Gries via Getty Images.
