Pulitzer Prize winner Pablo Torre gave Method Man the first listen of his own group Wu-Tang Clan’s fabled 1-of-1 album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. As documented in the latest episode of his Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, the journalist held a private Brooklyn listening party for the controversial project, which was initially owned by “pharmadouche” Martin Shkreli and is now held by digital arts collective PleasrDAO.
Background on the Album
Torre was only able to sneak snippets of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin into the episode, which mainly focuses on the extensive lore behind the album before revealing Method Man’s reaction.
The listening session came together after digital creator and NFT artist Emily Yang (aka pplpleasr) saw a previous episode of PTFO featuring Method Man, when Torre vowed to find a way for the rapper to hear the album. Yang, after whom PleasrDAO is named, reached out to Torre and connected him with the cryptocurrency collective.
Cilvaringz and the Creation of the Album
Producer Cilvaringz (aka Tarik Azzougarh) masterminded Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, essentially pasting together separately recorded verses from group members who had no idea what the project sounded like or how it would come together. In a nutshell, it wasn’t a proper Wu-Tang record, but rather a Cilvaringz album featuring verses from the Staten Island collective that he convinced RZA to turn into a one-of-a-kind work of art.
Method Man had long been one of its loudest critics, telling XXL in 2015, “Fuck that album” after learning about its 88-year copyright. “I’m tired of this shit and I know everybody else is tired of it, too,” he said. ” I haven’t heard anything like that, but if they’re doing crap like that, fuck that album. Straight up. I’m just keeping it 100.”
PleasrDAO and the Album’s Current Status
In 2021, PleasrDAO acquired the album for $4 million after the federal government seized it from Martin Shkreli. The collective made it available as an NFT in 2024 after offering the public an opportunity to hear it at a museum exhibition in Tasmania.
After hearing Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, Method Man said, “I can see why some people will love it. For me, it had a few nostalgic moments on there. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. You can tell that Cilvaringz was emulating RZA’s sound as much as possible, to the point where it got a little mimicry, a little mimicky… A bit long sometimes, but that’s what producers do. They’re like, ‘Look what I did.’ All in all, I do not hate this album.”
Method Man’s Reaction and Thoughts on the Album
He then praised his fellow bandmates: “Raekwon the Chef could have stayed off the last joint, though. That’s not his pace.”
“Again, I can see why people will like this album, and I can see why people will love this album,” Method Man continued. “Cilvaringz did his numbers with this one. The production is on par with some of the stuff RZA used to do back in the day, but again, he had the blueprint right there in front of him. Again, I don’t hate it.”
In the end, Method Man said Cilvaringz “did an excellent job,” adding, “Contrary to what everyone thinks, I have nothing against this guy. I’m going to give him his props on this one. I’m going to validate this is a valid piece of art right here.”
Once again praising Cilvaringz, Method Man said he believes the album is “in great hands” now that Shkreli is “out of the picture.” He then elaborated on why he took issue with how the project came together.
“Speaking from an art perspective, the time that it takes to create and the way that you envision shit, you want that to stay pure ’cause that’s about the only thing you can control. So, you don’t want someone to take that lightly and do whatever they want to do with it, even though record labels have been doing this shit to us for years. The payoff is that we can still get a room like this to listen to said art and be respected as artists. That’s the best part of it.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, Method Man’s reaction to Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was a mix of nostalgia and criticism, but ultimately, he validated the album as a valid piece of art. The album’s journey from its creation to its current status with PleasrDAO is a complex and intriguing one, and Method Man’s thoughts on the album provide valuable insight into the world of Wu-Tang Clan and the music industry as a whole.
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