The convoluted history of Wu-Tang Clan’s 2015 one-of-one album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin continues to evolve. Disgraced pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli is now dragging RZA (aka Robert Diggs) into the legal dispute over who really owns the rights to the album.
Shkreli paid $2 million at auction for the album in 2015, but in 2017 was forced to forfeit it when a federal court seized $7.4 million in assets following a securities fraud conviction. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice sold it to a corporate buyer for another $2 million. From there, it eventually ended up in the hands of “anti-establishment” NFT entity PleasrDAO at a whopping $4 million.
PleasrDAO paid another $750,000 in 2024 to acquire additional rights to the album. By design, Wu-Tang Clan made it impossible to commercially exploit the album until the year 2130. Its only usage was for private exhibitions or listening parties.
In June 2024, the album was set to be used as an exhibit at a Tasmanian art museum. That same month, Shkreli attempted to livestream the album on Twitter to roughly 5,000 people. This triggered the beginning of the lawsuits between PleasrDAO and Shkreli, who was once described by the NFT company as “the ultimate internet villain.”
Martin Shkreli, PleasrDAO, or Wu-Tang Clan: Who Really Owns the Rights to ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’?
After the 2024 livestream stunt, PleasrDAO sued Martin Shkreli for copying and playing the album without permission. According to the lawsuit, per Pitchfork, Shkreli still had some responsibility for his forfeited assets. This included Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, even though he was released from prison in 2022.
Those responsibilities involved making sure his assets were “preserved and maintained in good and marketable condition,” and were “not damaged, diluted or diminished in value as a result of any actions taken or not taken by the defendant and his representatives.” PleasrDAO claimed that by livestreaming an unauthorized copy of the album, Shkreli had significantly diminished its value.
Shkreli responded by claiming that PleasrDAO had also shared parts of the album with the public. He also claimed in October 2024, according to Billboard, that he played the album “several times several years ago.” Additionally, he said it was “highly likely” that other copies exist.
‘Immediate, Real, Justiciable Controversy’
As of February 5, 2026, Shkreli is dragging Wu-Tang member RZA into the legal mess. He allegedly claims that his rights dispute with PleasrDAO is partly Wu-Tang’s fault. According to this new lawsuit, RZA and producer Cilvaringz (aka Tarik Azzougarh) sold the album rights to PleasrDAO in 2024 (supposedly what that extra $750,000 was for). However, Shkreli claims the rights were promised to him in the initial 2015 sale.
His lawyers state that this “duplicate sale” creates an “immediate, real, and justiciable controversy” among Shkreli, PleasrDAO, and the Wu-Tang Clan. Per a report from Billboard, Shkreli was given 50% of the rights upon purchase. He was promised the remaining 50% in 88 years, when the album became commercially viable in 2130.
When Wu-Tang Clan settled with PleasrDAO, they sold 150% of their rights, according to the lawsuit. In response, PleasrDAO’s legal team stated that these new terms are a ploy to “distract and delay” using “actions that the Court has consistently and strenuously rejected.” They also called the actions “untimely” and “non-cognizable.”
Ultimately, PleasrDAO stated that Shkreli has no legal or contractual claim to the rights. This is because he forfeited the album in 2017. Additionally, there has not yet been a response to these claims from RZA or any Wu-Tang Clan spokesperson.
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