Wu-Tang Clan RZA has said the group have already received an offer of $5 million for their one-of-a-kind LP, The Wu-Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. Just last week the group announced they are planning on turning the music industry on its head, releasing just one copy of their new album to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
“Offers came in at $2 million, somebody offered $5 million yesterday,” RZA told Billboard in a recent interview. “So far, $5 million is the biggest number,” he continued. “I don’t know how to measure it, but it gives us an idea that what we’re doing is being understood by some.”
“And there are some good peers of mine also, who are very high-ranking in the film business and the music business, sending me a lot of good will,” he added. “It’s been real positive.” The new double album comprises of 31 tracks and will be sold in an engraved nickel-and-silver box created by British-Moroccan artist Yahya.
The album was reportedly recorded in secret over the last six years and was produced by Morocco-based producer Tarik Cilvaringz Azzougarh. The goal is to take the songs from the record on tour, through museums and festivals, before selling it off. London’s Tate Modern has been tipped as a possible concert venue.
What happens to the music from then is up to its new owner. It is speculated that a record label could buy the album and release it to the public through the usual channels. “The main theme is music being accepted and respected as art and being treated as such,” RZA told Billboard. “If something is rare, it’s rare. You cannot get another.”
The group’s long-promised 20th anniversary album, A Better Tomorrow, is still set for a standard commercial release mid-way through this year.
