Method Man Reacts to Hearing Once Upon a Time in Shaolin for the First Time

Method Man finally heard the completed Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin during an episode of journalist Pablo Torre’s podcast. Despite maintaining a lasting frustration over the project’s secretive creation and its turbulent history under pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, the Staten Island rapper admitted the music surpassed his expectations.

Method Man Reacts to the One-of-One Album in Brooklyn

Recorded in total secrecy between 2007 and 2013, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin was helmed by producer Cilvaringz and RZA, who gathered verses from individual members to create a single copy housed in a silver-nickel box. The project aimed to restore financial value to music in the digital age. However, Method Man revealed on the Friday, Oct. 16 episode of Pablo Finds Out that he never listened to the final product prior to a special listening session in Brooklyn, according to theroot.com.

“I can see why people would like it. I can see why some people would love it,” Method Man said on the show. While noting nostalgic moments and praising the production quality—comparing Cilvaringz’s work to RZA’s classic era—he also offered critique. He suggested the producer closely emulated RZA’s signature sound to a degree that felt “a little mimicky.”

“It was done under false pretenses. Maybe there would’ve been more of an effort on my part if I knew what it was going to be, and I felt like I was robbed of that,” Method Man said.

From Martin Shkreli to PleasrDAO

The album’s unconventional distribution path included a 2015 auction where disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli purchased the double-CD for $2 million. The sale contract prohibited commercial exploitation for 88 years, until 2103. After federal authorities seized the album following Shkreli’s conviction on securities fraud—resulting in a federal prison sentence—art and crypto collective PleasrDAO acquired the artifact for $4 million in September 2021.

Method Man voiced public opposition to the project’s handling as early as March 2015. Yet, after hearing snippets of the tracks during the recent listening event, he softened his overall stance on the current owners. “I believe Cilvaringz did his thing, and I believe now that Shkreli’s out of the picture, this album is in good hands,” he stated.

The public spotlight on the project coincides with the release of The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable, a documentary chronicling the creation of the album that premiered on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 16.

Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.