As Dame Dash works diligently to auction off his stakes in Roc-A-Fella Records, the courts have (although unintentionally) upheld the rarity value of a piece of hip-hop history involving Wu-Tang Clan.
According to Billboard, the iconic rap group’s supposed fan turned legal foe, Martin Shkreli, has been ordered to hand over any and all copies of Wu-Tang’s exclusive album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.
Back in 2021, the government reportedly seized it from Shkreli, the project’s former sole owner. The action was allegedly tied to Shkreli’s 2018 securities fraud conviction, in which he was subject to a $7.4 million judgment.
However, even after the body of work was purchased by digital art company PleasrDAO, Shkreli seemed to still have access to the recording as heard in his past livestreams.
Now, a judge has supposedly ruled in PleasrDAO’s favor. In order to retain its one-of-one nature and enforce punishment over Shkreli’s violation of the original purchase agreement terms and forfeiture order, he has been prohibited from “possessing, using, disseminating, or selling any interest in the album.”
In court documents, this also applied to “its data and files or the contents of the Album, or in any way causing further damage to Plaintiff respecting the album.”
Shkreli has until Friday, August 30 to “sequester and turn over all of his copies, in any form.” The court has also required Shkreli to file an affidavit disclosing the “information regarding alleged copies of ‘Once Upon a Time In Shaolin,’ people he might’ve given them to, and any money he might’ve made from distributing or playing the album.” But he has until September 30 to submit that filing with the courts.
Wu-Tang is for the children and now apparently law-abiding citizens.