Someone Bought the Wu-Tang Clan’s Secret Album

If you haven't heard the secret Wu-Tang Clan album by now, you've probably missed your chance. Forbes reports today (Nov. 24) that Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the double-album produced mostly by Tarik “Cilvaringz” Azzougarh, has been sold by the online auction house Paddle8. Zack O'Malley Greenberg, who has been covering the project since it was revealed to the public last year, says the the LP has been purchased, though Paddle8 representatives declined to name the buyer or the asking price. RZA has previously said that the terms of the sale will include the stipulation that it may not be reproduced, distributed or otherwise leaked for 88 years after the date of purchase; at that point, it will be up to the owner whether or not they'd like to make it public.

There has been some disagreement among group members as to whether the record should be kept private; to curb that, Shaolin was taken on a brief museum run. Cilvaringz has hinted that he and the group might be willing to let the buyer take it on a similar exhibition-style swing, giving fans a chance to hear the album--which supposedly features unreleased verses from the late Ol' Dirty Bastard--in a museum setting. Just over a year ago, the group released their last official record, A Better Tomorrow. Even that effort was marred by rumors of in-fighting, some of which stemmed from the news that the group employs a graduated pay scale.