A lot of hip-hop heads were salty after news broke in 2015 that "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli was the one who purchased the only copy of the Wu-Tang Clans's 31-track album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.
Things looked a little brighter for the fate of the album, however, after Shkreli put it up for auction on eBay before being hauled off to jail last Tuesday over urging followers to snatch a few strands of hair off the head of Hillary Clinton.
And while it initially appeared as though the album sold to a bidder last week for just over a million dollars, one person with insider knowledge says that's not actually the case.
Wu affiliate Matt “M-Eighty” Markoff, who's worked in various capacities alongside the Clan for the past 15 years, tells HipHopDX.com that the album is still very much for sale.
Markoff had reportedly been corresponding with Shkreli through texts and emails about securing the album for himself. He says that he was the only one who had made a formal offer for the project; however, Shkreli went to jail before the sale could be finalized.
According to Markoff, he received an email Tuesday from an attorney representing Shkreli concerning the sale of the album.
“We represent Martin Shkreli in this matter,” attorney Scott Vernick wrote. “We have a competitive bid at $1M that has demonstrated proof funds and is prepared to deposit cash in an escrow account pending an expedited closing. Are you prepared to submit a competitive bid? Please advise. Thank you.”
Markoff points out that this proves the winning eBay bid is illegitimate, as Shkreli's people are clearly still trying to unload the album.
“I’m extremely confident that in light of Martin’s recent incarceration, there’s potential that the eBay auction will not hold up,” Markoff said. “There's doubt the buyer is a qualified candidate who has the requisite funds, meets sellers specific deadlines, and is a real candidate versus a friend of the seller who may have intentionally bid up the auction in hopes of reaching a greater sales potential.”
Markoff says he's 70 percent sure he'll become the new owner of the album, though the 30 percent uncertainty stems from Shkreli not providing him with a copy of the original purchase agreement for the album.
If he's able to successfully purchase the album, Markoff will work on making it available to Wu-Tang fans.
“If the 70 percent faith outweighs the 30 percent of my reservations largely based off the follow-through of the seller, then once all tangibles and intangibles are reviewed to my satisfaction, I look forward to proceeding with the sale...It’s for not only the benefit of myself, but more importantly Hip-Hop and Wu-Tang fans worldwide who have yearned to hear this unique album for more than two years.”
Source: hiphopdx.com
