How Much Is Martin Shkreli’s One-of-a-Kind Wu-Tang Album Worth?<br />The album’s tangled history has only added to its fame, which might lift its value, according to Cyrus Bozorgmehr, who served as an adviser to the Wu-Tang Clan for the album’s release<br />and wrote a book, “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin: The Untold Story of the Wu-Tang Clan’s Million-Dollar Secret Album, the Devaluation of Music, and America’s New Public Enemy No.<br />At a time when artists worry that the digital economy has crushed the value of music, the Wu-Tang Clan — once hailed as the visionary kings of New York rap — decided to make “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” a one-of-a-kind art piece, wrapping it in mystery<br />and pomp, and making its very release a statement about music’s worth.<br />When the album was sold at auction in mid-2015, the buyer was kept secret and the price was given only as “in the millions.” At the time, Mr. Shkreli had little public profile, but<br />that August — just as the deal was being finalized — he became an instant public villain for brazenly and unapologetically raising the price of Daraprim, a drug used to treat a rare disease from $13.50 a tablet to $750.<br />The original price, set when Mr. Shkreli bought the album at auction three years ago, has never been publicly confirmed, though it has been reported —<br />and stated more than once by Mr. Shkreli — as $2 million.<br />“There are potentially some people out there who would place a lot of value on that.”<br />According to Mr. Bozorgmehr, when Mr. Shkreli was arrested he even offered the album back to the Wu-Tang Clan.<br />Weeks later, Mr. Shkreli was identified as the buyer of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” Wu-Tang fans were horrified,<br />but watched with fascination as Mr. Shkreli streamed snippets of the album online.<br />And then there is an item that has been the subject of worldwide intrigue: the sole copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album “Once<br />Upon a Time in Shaolin,” packaged in a custom silver-and-nickel case and accompanied by a 174-page leather-bound book.
