Martin Shkreli is back in the headlines, and once again it involves the Wu-Tang Clan. The disgraced former “Pharma Bro” is now suing RZA, claiming his rights tied to the group’s once-secret album are being violated.
As per Complex, Shkreli has filed a lawsuit against RZA alleging that the Wu-Tang frontman is improperly selling or licensing rights connected to Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Shkreli claims that even though the album was later seized by the U.S. government, he still retained certain contractual rights tied to how the project can be commercially used — and he says those rights are now being ignored.
To rewind: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has been one of Hip-Hop’s most infamous “what if” artifacts since the jump. Wu-Tang recorded the project as a one-of-one — a single physical copy packaged like a museum piece — with rules intended to keep it from being treated like a normal album release. The idea was to push the music into “fine art” territory, the type of move that sparks conversation even if fans never actually get to hear the full thing.
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Then Shkreli entered the story and turned it into pure chaos. He bought the album, leaned all the way into the villain role, and spent years antagonizing the culture online while building his reputation as the internet’s favorite supervillain. Eventually, his legal troubles caught up with him: after his fraud conviction, the album became part of what the government went after. In other words, the same run that made him “Pharma Bro” ended with him doing time — and the Wu-Tang album getting pulled into the feds’ orbit as an asset tied to the case.
Now, Shkreli’s lawsuit basically argues that while he may not physically control the album anymore, he believes he still has enforceable rights connected to it — especially if there’s any attempt to monetize it in ways beyond the original “single copy” concept. He’s accusing RZA and his camp of moving forward with plans that he says cross that line.
RZA has long made it clear he wants no association with Shkreli, and Wu-Tang has publicly distanced itself from him for years. But Shkreli’s latest move is him trying to turn that messy chapter into a courtroom fight — one that could drag the album’s already complicated legacy back into the spotlight.
As of now, RZA has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
