It looks like the strange tale of the never-been-released-or-heard Wu Tang album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin finally has some resolution.
Earlier this year RZA put the mysterious LP up for auction. This angered Method Man and a whole lot of Wu Tang fans because it seemed like the buyer wouldn't be able to play the album in public for 88 years. RZA clarified that the buyer couldn't sell it commercially for 88 years, but was free to do with it whatever else they wanted.
Then the question became would anyone buy it, especially given RZA wanted more than the $2 million he said he had already been offered for it.
That's been answered, as an anonymous American has just paid an "undisclosed figure in the millions" for Once Upon A Time in Shaolin.
This breaks the all-time mark for the amount paid for an album at an auction, which had previously been the 300K White Stripes frontman Jack White bid for an early Elvis Presley recording.
"From the beginning, we hoped that this concept would inspire debate and new ways of seeing creativity," RZA, said about the sale in a statement. "Both of those goals have been achieved, and the ideas continue to evolve."He added that a significant portion of Wu Tang's profits on the sale would go to charity.