Rare Audio Snippets of Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Once Upon A Time in Shaolin’ Surface on Podcast Along With Method Man’s First Listen

For nearly a decade, Wu-Tang Clan’s elusive, one-of-a-kind album Once Upon A Time in Shaolin has remained almost entirely unheard by the public, shrouded in a bizarre saga of high-stakes auctions, federal asset forfeiture, cryptocurrency collectives, and strict legal prohibitions. Now, music fans finally have a chance to hear a small piece of the legendary record. In a newly released episode of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, listeners can hear two rare snippets from the multi-million-dollar album, alongside the genuine, unfiltered reaction of Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man, who was hearing the project for the very first time.

The availability of these audio excerpts marks a minor milestone in the strange and turbulent history of a record designed from its inception to defy traditional music industry norms. Conceived as a piece of fine art rather than a standard commercial commodity, Once Upon A Time in Shaolin was pressed as a single physical copy encased in an ornate, hand-carved silver box crafted by Moroccan artisan Yahya. To preserve its exclusivity, the group stipulated that the album could not be commercially released, streamed, or mass-produced until the year 2103, effectively turning the double-disc project into a modern-day museum piece.

The journey of the album from the recording studio to its current status is a convoluted tale that has captivated both financial and pop culture chroniclers. The modern mythology of the record took a sharp, controversial turn in 2015 when disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli purchased the sole copy at a high-profile auction for a reported two million dollars. Shkreli, who would later become a figure of intense public disdain and legal trouble, flaunted his ownership of the record online, transforming the artifact into a polarizing symbol of corporate greed and internet trolling.

Shkreli’s stewardship of the album was short-lived in the grand scheme of its intended lifespan. Following his conviction on federal securities fraud charges, the United States government seized several of his high-value assets to satisfy a massive court-ordered forfeiture. Among the seized property was the elusive Wu-Tang Clan masterwork. In July 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice sold the album to PleasrDAO, a decentralized cryptocurrency art collective, for four million dollars in an effort to recoup funds for Shkreli’s victims.

Since acquiring the album, PleasrDAO has taken a slightly more open approach to the artifact than its previous owner, though strict legal frameworks still prevent widespread distribution. Rather than locking the physical vaults away forever, the collective has permitted the album to be played at carefully curated special exhibitions, such as a high-profile public listening event held at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania. However, opportunities for everyday fans—and even members of the group itself—to experience the music remain extraordinarily rare.

To bridge that gap and explore the deep lore surrounding the record, the production team behind Pablo Torre Finds Out collaborated with PleasrDAO to orchestrate a special listening session. Crucially, the podcast brought in Method Man, one of the foundational pillars of the legendary Staten Island hip-hop collective, who admitted he had never actually heard the completed album prior to the recording. The resulting episode captures the historic moment as the veteran rapper experiences the fruits of his collective’s secretive labor years after it was recorded.

During the podcast episode, the hosts play selections from the album for Method Man, allowing the audience to eavesdrop on the historic playback. Listeners tuning into the show can hear two distinct musical snippets embedded within the episode, offering a rare acoustic window into a project that has mostly existed as a headline rather than an auditory experience. The snippets appear at the 32-minute and 30-second mark and the 39-minute and 2-second mark of the broadcast, providing a brief glimpse into the sonic landscape of the multi-million-dollar artifact.

As for how the veteran lyricist felt about the long-concealed tracks, Method Man offered a succinct and characteristic appraisal after taking in the music. Giving his live review to the podcast hosts, the rapper simply stated, "I do not hate this album." While understated, the reaction offers a fascinating endorsement from an insider who helped build the legendary Wu-Tang sound, validating the artistic integrity of a project that has spent most of its existence defined by controversy rather than its actual music.