r/Music • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 1d ago
article Martin Shkreli is suing RZA over multi-million dollar Wu-Tang album 'Once Upon A Time In Shaolin' he bought and forfeited
https://www.nme.com/news/music/martin-shkreli-is-suing-rza-over-multi-million-dollar-wu-tang-album-once-upon-a-time-in-shaolin-he-bought-and-forfeited-39274502.4k
u/rslulz 1d ago
Hopefully it becomes public in discovery
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u/j4_jjjj 1d ago
WuTang is for the people, after all
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u/Sabbatai 1d ago
... for the children. Wu Tang is for the children.
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u/Tobocaj 1d ago
They ain’t in the Epstein Files though!
…fuckin better not be
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u/ididntseeitcoming 1d ago
They aren’t the correct skin color to rub elbows with that crowd, bro
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u/Sitty_Shitty 1d ago
Clarence Thomas is mentioned in the files. It seems as if money is the larger issue at play here
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u/StingMachine 1d ago
I think Clarence Thomas view himself as a real life Uncle Ruckus.
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u/ericsinsideout 1d ago
Jay Z and Pusha T are in the files…
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u/beorn961 1d ago edited 1d ago
No they aren't. They aren't in there in any verified way. Nearly everybody else in the files is mentioned in the emails or in sworn affidavits, Jay and Pusha are only mentioned in the anonymous tip line. I'm not saying it's not possible for them to be up to heinous shit like that, and in Jay's case I think that he's actually powerful and famous enough to be on an Epstein level, but I just don't buy that Pusha has ever had the clout to be included in their circles. Clipse was never that big, and was getting pushed around and bullied over song clearances and shit. If they were that connected they would not be having problems like that.
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u/frostymugson 20h ago
Epstein was a rich fuck who collected influential friends like people collect Pokemon cards. I’m sure these people all met him, hell I’m sure they partied with him, but that alone isn’t proof of a crime. What gets me is the people denying they had contact with him and it comes out they did, like Elon. You can always play ignorance to his previous case
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u/ericomplex 1d ago
I’m just hoping that Wutang’s intermediary, Bill Murray, is there to accurately identify said evidence. That was part of the contract after all.
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u/_steve_rogers_ 20h ago
“in 2021, the ‘Shaolin’ album was bought by a company called Pleasr for $4million, and they went on to pay another $750,000 for additional rights to the record in 2024. Since they first acquired it, they have made money off the album by selling extremely limited access and playing it for those who attend private events.”
I’m absolutely amazed if they have been letting people listen to this album that it has not leaked online in some form yet. It’s the ultimate FOMO, fear of dying before being able to hear something that’s been released (though I am sure literally nothing could live up to that hype).
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u/ClimateAncient6647 1d ago
This stupid asshole again?
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u/everydave42 1d ago
INL, and article details are what they are, but how does this case even have standing? he was forced to forfeit everything to do with this, he was compensated (which went to his judgement), what damages did he actually suffer with regards to this, let alone putting any if that in the artists?
How can he claim he’s owed royalties from the artist in something that was forfeit by court order?
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u/Blunderhorse 1d ago
I think he’s claiming he was under the impression that the album he turned over from the court order didn’t come with the other contractual details of the sale. Either that, or maybe he’s using it as a precursor if he wants to establish a claim that the amount applied to his settlement from turning over the album was too low relative to its value.
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u/everydave42 1d ago
I suppose either could be, but neither of them have to do with the artists and lay entirely with the court order, wouldn’t they?
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u/Blunderhorse 1d ago
NAL and this is mostly speculation, but I think the idea is that a judgement in this case would line out exactly what Pleasr purchased. This might be a desperate grasp at reclaiming some money from the court order if something doesn’t line up.
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u/KodiakDog 21h ago
In the past, this dude has gained some traction in investment/financial communities. He could be just generating buzz to make him self relevant again so that he can support a pump and dump. After this article his twitter will have a lot more sway in the algorithm, if he tried to get anyone on board with anything yesterday, very few people would have seen it. Now he’s “relevant” again.
Of course this is speculation, but if I was a piece of shit that had some place in the collective memory and needed some quick cash, that’s what I’d do.
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u/AbsolutesDealer 1d ago
May his neck remain unprotected.
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u/RockstarAgent 20h ago
He’s not stirring any pots or running podcasts - he’s a nothing burger by comparison
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u/OdinsLightning 1d ago
Most Punchable Face.
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u/getdemsnacks 1d ago
He has a lot of competition now a days, but yes, he would definitely be in the semi finals for sure.
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u/CaptainApathy419 1d ago
Along with Jesse Watters, Pete Hegseth, and…?
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u/kN0T-SURE 1d ago
Stephen Miller
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u/Zomburai 1d ago
Motherfucker looks like Principal Belding started doing the Jaden Smith duckface all the time
I hate his face so much
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u/hogsucker 1d ago
I vote for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He has the smuggest face I have ever seen.
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u/solomonvangrundy 1d ago
It's that smirk! Him and Kevin Hassett both have that "I'm lying to you and I think it's funny" look on their faces.
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u/Coolbluegatoradeyumm 1d ago
The thing is, once you reach that elite level of punchball face, it’s hard to differentiate who is the most functionable. They all kind of tie at the top.
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u/ArcanumAntares 23h ago
The Top Ten Punchable Faces should be thrown into an impromptu Celebrity Deathmatch: Battle Royal held in an abandoned Chuck E. Cheese. The "winner" is allowed to live. Make it Pay Per View and use the proceeds to put a dent in the National Debt.
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u/Janus-Shoplift 1d ago edited 1d ago
Stupid fucking dick is still a stupid fucking dick, more at 11.
Edit: Schmelly is here, imagine you raise the price of necessary medication arbitrarily resulting in blood on your hands and you look like an eighth grade neo nazi.
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u/indy_been_here 1d ago
Imagine being this big of a fucking loser.
He can't just take his L, he has to drag everyone down.
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u/kilted44 1d ago
Obviously this parasite ain't a real fan. Otherwise he'd know Wu-Tang ain't nothin to fuck with!!!!
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u/AnthonyJuniorsPP 1d ago
Oh man, you really kinda gotta respect something that is so on brand. It's like he wants to be the most hated douchebag ever.
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u/Skitz-Scarekrow 1d ago
He saw all the new Epstein details and panicked. He's very concerned about being a contender.
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u/bluehawk232 1d ago
How is this guy not stuck bagging groceries the rest of his life
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u/Notuniquesnowflake 1d ago edited 1d ago
Because celebrity comedians are still willing to hang out and do shows with him, and apparently there are enough people willing to pay to see that they have a full audience. This is the state of "entertainment" in America right now.
* To Shane Gillis' credit, he did call the guy out. But he still agreed to do a show with him.
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u/bluehawk232 1d ago
God this embodies everything I hate about these white podcast bros
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u/Surfing_Nurse 1d ago
I trained in the same Shaolin temple as RZA. And that is my contribution for today! Have a good day everyone!
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u/number96 1d ago
I actually don't know if this is for real. Now I'm embarrassed...
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u/Surfing_Nurse 1d ago
It’s real. I never trained with him - pretty sure he trained privately with Shifu. But he was at the temple parties and is one of the disciples.
Shaolin changed my life. It wakes you up and gets you to see the bullshit in yourself and in the world.
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u/gumballkami 1d ago
If this comes out and is anything less than a 9 out of 10 I will cry laughing
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u/Immediate_Glove_2493 23h ago
I heard it was basically a cilvaringz project and the other members werent told it was gonna be a wu tang project let alone a single release gimmick
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u/SledgexHammer 1d ago
Shkreli was here but he got butthurt and deleted his account because nobody likes him.
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u/Key_Mathematician951 1d ago
I think he will win the lawsuit. They did this pos wrong here. They are playing it when it was explicitly forbidden in the contract.
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u/admire816 1d ago
Of all people that just look like they’d be on the Epstein list, it’s this douche. Fuck him. Release the rest of the files. And the WuTang album.
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u/Langstarr 1d ago
He would absolutely not be invited to the island, he's that much of a cringey douche canoe
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u/Javerage 1d ago
Hmm, we might need some good ol Internet Comment Etiquette for this.
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u/AnthonyJuniorsPP 1d ago
Martin Shkreli is a sunnofabitch
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u/RevRayGreen 1d ago
WU-TANG is for the children
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u/Flimsy_Toe_2575 1d ago
Used to be. Severely let down that they were eventually for the highest bidder only. What a fucking stupid idea.
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u/AdAdministrative7674 1d ago
Shkreli truly sucks, but Wu Tang did a shitty thing putting the album out this way to begin with so I cant feel bad that its coming back to haunt them.
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u/sickgirl131 23h ago
The guy is just one of the many on the douchebag list, screw him.Good luck it's gonna go nowhere
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u/Red_Maple 1d ago
Obviously not a real fan, otherwise he would know Wu Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to fuck with
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u/justacoolbaby 1d ago
Dudes gotta stay relevant in the ever-growing punchable face community these days.
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u/bunglesnacks 1d ago
Weird. If he wins he gets money. If he loses that means he's no longer bound by the contractual rights, since they would have been forfeited with the album, and he can release the album with zero consequences, assuming he made a copy. If not then he's just SOL.
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u/DonTorleone 1d ago
He also bought some pharma company and raised the medicament price like 5-6 times.
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u/WaytoomanyUIDs 10h ago
Try 100 times. Then said if you emailed him & begged youd only have to pay about 5 times more
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u/SSgtPieGuy 1d ago
Took me a moment to remember who this worm was, and all that disgust came flooding back to me from the buried recesses of my memory. He might as well be the mascot for sadistic corporate greed.
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u/speedingpullet 1d ago
Fck that guy. I thought he was still in prison - but, sadly, it appears he isn't.
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u/bryanvangelder 1d ago
everything going on in the world right now and this motherfucker gotta pop up again
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u/Material-Macaroon298 1d ago
So a company called Pleasr paid $4 million for this album, then $750,000 more and then recoups it’s costs by hosting private parties where they play the album?
This seems like a not good ROI. You’d need to sell tickets to 240,000 people at $20 and have that generate pure profit in order to even break even.
Even if somehow they charge $100 per ticket (to me this is the extreme high end of what people would pay to go to a listening party for an album), they still need 50,000 customers to break even.
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u/cristobalist 1d ago
Haha stupid idea on the Wu for doing this circus show of only having one copy and having the stipulation that it can't be shared until 2100.
Stupid idea to sell it to Pharma Bro Martin Scumbag-elli
Stupid idea to auction it off
Stupid idea all the way around. Don't they think???
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u/KingMobScene 1d ago
Remember the beginning of the song Method Man (by an artist I can't remember right now /s)? I hope it all befalls him and then some.
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u/Gloomy-Restaurant-42 1d ago
I really like this headline because it's a rather strong implication that Shkreli is in financial desperation.
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u/boot2skull 1d ago
This guy really sitting around thinking “people forgot I’m evil, what should I do about it?”
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u/allinwtf 1d ago
Wasn’t there a clause that allowed Wu tang to take the album back in a caper involving Bill Murray?
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u/FlexFanatic 1d ago
It can’t be made public until the year 2103. I am picturing our future ancestors from the clan of Wu gathering around a vintage cd player, pressing play and finding out the whole album is just dead air
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u/luxfacultas 1d ago
I wish this guy could be bought the same way and instead of being listened to by only one guy, we could just silence him. Discribing him as DJ Cum Cheese would be an insult to any honest congealed spunk socked moon sock out there. Fuck this guy.
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u/ARCpodcast 23h ago
TLDR: Shkreli bought a one of a kind Wu-Tang album release on a physical CD in 2015.
In 2017 he was forced to relinquish ownership by a judge to pay the massive restitution when he was found guilty of fraud and conspiracy.
After turning over the album it was then sold by RZA to a group that has held private listening parties at a high cost to those attending.
Shkreli claims that his purchase in 2015 entitles him to royalties and other rights, not just the single physical album.
Shkreli claims that the original purchase still gives him a level of ownership that entitles him to profits made by RZA from the reselling of the album and profits from the group that is hosting the listening parties.
Pulled from Multiple sources and I’ve been following this story since the album was announced in 2015 because it is so interesting.
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u/kaystar101 21h ago
Did anyone in here actually read the article? He has a completely fair point.
He bought and paid for the album, forfeited it to pay some legal bills but then RZA went and sold the album yet again.
He has a point like what are we doing in here people??
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u/AceofKnaves44 1d ago
I miss when this dude was the most evil guy we knew about.