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  1. #1
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    Once Upon A Time In Shaolin

    Interesting marketing. We'll see if it works.

    3/26/2014 @ 12:00PM
    Why Wu-Tang Will Release Just One Copy Of Its Secret Album
    Once Upon A Time In Shaolin: Wu Tang will sell just one copy of the top-secret album.



    Somewhere on the outskirts of Marrakech, Morocco, inside a vault housed beneath the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, there sits an engraved silver-and-nickel box with the potential to spawn a shift in the way music is consumed and monetized.

    The lustrous container was handcrafted over the course of three months by British-Moroccan artist Yahya, whose works have been commissioned by royal families and business leaders around the world. Soon, it will contain a different sort of art piece: the Wu-Tang Clan’s double-album The Wu – Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, recorded in secret over the past few years.

    Like the work of a master Impressionist, it will truly be one-of-a-kind—in lieu of a traditional major label or independent launch, the iconic hip-hop collective will make and sell just one copy of the album. And similar to a Monet or a Degas, the price tag will be a multimillion-dollar figure.

    “We’re about to sell an album like nobody else sold it before,” says Robert “RZA” Diggs, the first Wu-Tang member to speak on record about Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, in an exclusive interview with FORBES. “We’re about to put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of [modern] music. We’re making a single-sale collector’s item. This is like somebody having the scepter of an Egyptian king.”

    Wu-Tang’s aim is to use the album as a springboard for the reconsideration of music as art, hoping the approach will help restore it to a place alongside great visual works–and create a shift in the music business, not to mention earn some cash, in the process. The one-of-a-kind launch will be a separate endeavor from the group’s 20th anniversary album, A Better Tomorrow, which is set for a standard commercial release this summer.

    According to RZA and the album’s main producer Tarik “Cilvaringz” Azzougarh, a Morocco-based part of Wu-Tang’s extended family, the plan is to first take Once Upon A Time In Shaolin on a “tour” through museums, galleries, festivals and the like. Just like a high-profile exhibit at a major institution, there will be a cost to attend, likely in the $30-$50 range.

    Visitors will go through heavy security to ensure that recording devices aren’t smuggled in; as an extra precaution, they’ll likely have to listen to the 128-minute album’s 31 songs on headphones provided by the venue. As Cilvaringz puts it: “One leak of this thing nullifies the entire concept.”

    Though no exhibition dates have been finalized, Cilvaringz says Wu-Tang has been in discussions with a bevy of possible locations, including the Tate Modern (a representative from the institution did not respond to a request for comment). Other venues, including art galleries and listening tents at music festivals, could eventually round out the tour.

    Once the album completes its excursion, Wu-Tang will make it available for purchase for a price “in the millions.” Suitors could include brands willing to shell out for cool points and free publicity (just as Samsung spent $5 million to buy copies of Jay Z’s latest album for its users) or major record labels hoping to launch the album through the usual channels (they’re used to paying top acts seven-figure advances).

    There’s also the possibility that a wealthy private citizen could buy it and either keep the album or release it to the public for free in the name of democratizing a cultural artifact. That’s essentially what clothing mogul Mark Ecko did by purchasing Barry Bonds’ 756th home run ball for $752,467 and conducting a plebiscite to determine if he should blast it into outer space, send it to the Hall of Fame unblemished, or brand it with an asterisk (he eventually did the latter and sent it to Cooperstown).

    “The idea that music is art has been something we advocated for years,” says RZA. “And yet its doesn’t receive the same treatment as art in the sense of the value of what it is, especially nowadays when it’s been devalued and diminished to almost the point that it has to be given away for free.”

    Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’s origins date back to 1997, while Wu-Tang was on tour in Europe. At one show in Amsterdam, the group allowed a few of the fans to hop up on the stage—and one of them happened to be Cilvaringz, then an 18-year-old just beginning to study entertainment law and music management.

    “I recognized his energy,” says RZA. “There was something about him different from the rest of the audience.”

    Cilvaringz kept in touch with the producer and even took the step of traveling to New York with friends to try and arrange a meeting, only to find that RZA was too busy to sit down with him. But when the Wu-Tang star’s mother met Cilvaringz hanging around the office, she was so impressed by his demeanor that she contacted her son and urged him to make time.

    RZA did exactly that, and found himself even more knocked out by the up-and-comer than he’d been in Amsterdam, urging him to go back to school and continue learning about the music business. He soon became a mentor to Cilvaringz, showing him the ropes of production and the industry itself.

    By the late 2000s, RZA and the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan were ready to start working on the project that would become Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. Cilvaringz’s aim as producer was to create an album with a vintage Wu-Tang sound, the same one that drew him to the concert in Amsterdam a decade earlier.

    The group was no stranger to collaborations with international artists like IAM, the French hip-hop group that collaborated on the 1997 track “La Saga” with members of the Wu-Tang Clan. The song features two verses in English, two in French, and shoutouts to cities from Medina to Marseilles.

    So it wasn’t much of a stretch for Wu-Tang to work with Cilvaringz, who’d subsequently relocated to Marrakech, for Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. The pieces slowly fell into place, with the group’s original members agreeing to participate alongside few special guests. The lengthy leadup gave him plenty of time to think about how to ensure a lasting impact for the album.

    “It took a long time,” says Cilvaringz. “After five years, I’m sitting here and I’m like, ‘Am I really going to release this record and see it die after a week?’”

    That sentiment led him, along with RZA, to come up with the one-copy concept. After watching Jay Z debut his album in partnership with Samsung last summer—and buy 100 copies of Nipsey Hussle’s $100 mixtape—Cilvaringz and his Wu-Tang compatriots had something resembling proof of concept for Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.

    “I think it’s a musical portrait that’s going to revolutionize music in the future,” said Wu-Tang member Jamiel “Masta Killa” Arief, via electronic message. “And I’m thankful to my brother Ringz, to collaborate with, and I’m ecstatic to be a part of it.”

    Now, all that remains to be done is to transfer the digital files of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin to a physical disc, enclose it in the silver box, and nail down some dates for the exhibition. To be sure, there’s always a chance that this carefully conceived plan will combust before it sees the light of day, a possibility that Cilvaringz recognizes.

    “I know it sounds crazy,” he says. “It might totally flop, and we might be completely ridiculed. But the essence and core of our ideas is to inspire creation and originality and debate, and save the music album from dying.”

    The plan almost resembles a Kickstarter campaign in search of a single, super-wealthy backer; there are also parallels with Jack Conte’s Patreon. But it more closely mirrors the centuries-old patron model, where aristocrats would commission painters or bankroll resident musicians to create works of art.

    Indeed, crowdfunding on the whole is the distant progeny of that system, as is the aforementioned activity of Samsung. Wu-Tang is betting that a full-circle return will yield industry-shaking—and pocket-fattening—results.

    Cilvaringz is even hoping the album will mark the beginning of a scaleable private music service. And as far as RZA is concerned, the move is an opportunity to attain a unique form of immortalization, not just through music, but through model.

    “There will be a time when we can’t tour, and that’s just the natural evolution of man,” he says. “And yet this particular privatized album, I think—this idea we have—will be something that will go longer than all of us.”
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  2. #2
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    $5 million

    Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang.
    Wu-Tang Clan Offered $5 Million for One-Of-a-Kind Album, Says RZA
    By Jem Aswad, New York | April 02, 2014 12:19 PM EDT


    WireImage/Getty Images (l)

    Wu-Tang Clan turned the concept of artist compensation on its ear last week with the announcement that they'll be manufacturing just one unique copy of their forthcoming LP, "The Wu — Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," and then auctioning it off for a price they expect to reach into the millions.

    The group's RZA, who masterminded the project with producer/Wu-Tang extended family member Tarik "Cilvaringz" Azzougarh, told Billboard that their goal got closer to reality this week.

    "Offers came in at $2 million, somebody offered $5 million yesterday," he said via phone from Los Angeles Tuesday, during a break from promotion work on "Brick Mansions," his forthcoming film with the late Paul Walker, and "Gang Related," his Fox show launching next month. "I've been getting a lot of emails: some from people I know, some from people I don't know, and they're also emailing other members of my organization.

    "So far, $5 million is the biggest number," he continued. "I don't know how to measure it, but it gives us an idea that what we're doing is being understood by some. And there are some good peers of mine also, who are very high-ranking in the film business and the music business, sending me a lot of good will. It's been real positive."

    The 31-track album, which was recorded in secret over the past few years and produced by Cilvaringz "under the tutelage" of the RZA, was announced a week ago today. It will be housed in a hand carved nickel-silver box designed by British-Moroccan artist Yahya.

    In a manifesto on the project's website, the goal is to make a statement about music as a work of art in the ongoing debate over creators' compensation in the context of the digital revolution. "The intrinsic value of music has been reduced to zero," it reads. "Contemporary art is worth millions by virtue of its exclusivity. This album is a piece of contemporary art."

    "The main theme is music being accepted and respected as art and being treated as such," RZA told Billboard. "If something is rare, it's rare. You cannot get another."

    While the site's claim that "This is the first high-profile album never to be commercially released to the public and the first of its kind in the history of music" is not entirely accurate — one-off releases from Radiohead and Jean-Michel Jarre, among others, have been created and sold — the project is unquestionably an interesting twist in the music industry's ongoing dilemma over artist compensation.

    See this week's Billboard for more from our interview with RZA, including his views on art, collecting, ownership, and the rights of the ultimate owner of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  3. #3
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    Slightly OT

    Wu-Tang-Affiliated Rapper Cuts Off His Own *****, Jumps Off Balcony in Suicide Attempt
    4/16/2014 8:34 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
    EXCLUSIVE


    Wu Tang Rapper Cuts Off *****A rapper affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan was rushed to the hospital early Wednesday after he cut off his ***** and then jumped off a second story balcony in what police believe was a suicide attempt ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

    Our sources say ... cops were called to an apartment building in North Hollywood at around 1:00 AM and found Christ Bearer -- aka Andre Johnson -- on the sidewalk critically injured.

    Christ Bearer is a member of the rap group Northstar ... a group discovered by members of Wu-Tang Clan. Two members of a group Bearer collaborates with live in the same apartment building and tell TMZ they were there early this morning when Christ Bearer suddenly -- without warning -- cut off his ***** and jumped off the balcony. They say they were not on "any hard drugs that would cause him to do such a thing."

    The two men say they rushed downstairs and Christ Bearer had already jumped up and began screaming incoherently.

    041614_northstar_bearer_launch_v2
    Johnson was rushed by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. It's unclear if doctor's are attempting to reattach Johnson's *****.

    Johnson is a rapper who was in a group founded by members of Wu-Tang Clan.
    Honestly now...how many "hard drugs that would cause him to do such a thing" are there?
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #4
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    Cher

    I did NOT see that one coming...

    Cher, Wu-Tang Clan Collaborate for Two Songs on Secret Album
    'The Wu - Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' features unlikely vocals from iconic singer


    Cher, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan.
    Neilson Barnard/Getty Images; Mark Horton/WireImage
    By Jason Newman
    May 7, 2014 8:55 AM ET

    Cher has contributed vocals to two songs on Wu-Tang Clan's upcoming "secret album" The Wu - Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

    A representative for Cher declined to make the singer available for comment, but confirmed the collaboration to Rolling Stone. "She recorded her parts separately, so I don't believe there was direct interaction," said the rep.

    In a video posted by Forbes on Tuesday, writer Zack O'Malley Greenberg traveled to Marrakesh, Morocco to "become the first civilian" to hear the album, of which the group is only pressing one copy and selling to the highest bidder. Tarik "Cilvaringz" Azzougarh, the album's producer, played one song on-camera featuring Ghostface Killah rhyming over pounding drums, dusty organ and a repeated female wail. At the end of the track, Cher improbably sings, "Wu-Tang, baby. They rock the world."

    Cher's appearance had been hiding in plain sight since at least March, when the album's website noted that it "includes special guest appearances by Bonnie Jo Mason." In 1964, Cher released "Ringo, I Love You," her first solo single without Sonny Bono and a tribute to Ringo Starr, under the pseudonym of the same name.



    In the video, Azzougarh says production of the album, which was six years in the making, was done in Marrakesh "in a very unconventional way." After Azzougarh produced the tracks and sent them to RZA for review, the pair came up with song titles before it was decided which rappers would appear on which tracks. When it was time for each Wu member to record his part, the rappers rhymed over similar-sounding beats, but not the original, to avoid any leaks. According to Azzougarh, no one in the group, including RZA, was given final copies of the album.

    The video also shows the album's container, which was handcrafted over three months by 10 artists led by British-Moroccan artist Yahya. Yahya shows off the case, an ornate container carved in nickel silver with the Wu-Tang W logo embossed in the middle of the case. "We treat it as an art piece, which it is," says Yahya. The album has allegedly been moved to a different secret location since the video was shot.

    "We're about to sell an album like nobody else sold it before," RZA told Forbes in March. "We're about to put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of [modern] music. We're making a single-sale collector's item. This is like somebody having the scepter of an Egyptian king."

    Before the album is sold to one wealthy fan — RZA claims he's been offered $5 million for the 31-track record — it will be toured across the world's museums, galleries and festivals, using headphones to protect the songs from piracy.

    The release of the secret album has been overshadowed of late by group infighting over Wu's other upcoming album A Better Tomorrow. Last month, Raekwon told Rolling Stone that he was "on strike" from the group, accusing RZA of "mediocre ****" when it came to new music and alleging that contracts still needed to be negotiated for him to appear. After saying that Wu-Tang Clan "needs him" on the next album, RZA gave the rapper a 30-day ultimatum to agree to terms. While it's unclear if Raekwon will appear on A Better Tomorrow, the rapper told Rolling Stone the odds were two out of 10.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  5. #5
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    MK Ultra

    MK Ultra Mind Control. Sell your soul to the devil... for a price.

    Here is a link regarding the attempted assassination of Tila Tequila. "Blame it on the drugs."


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMGyE...yer_detailpage

  6. #6
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    drops today

    No, Skrillex Didn't Buy Wu-Tang's $5M 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' Album
    By Andrew Flanagan | December 01, 2014 4:16 PM EST


    Skrillex performs a DJ set by the pool on the roof of Red Bull Guest House, in Miami, FL, on 22 March 2013
    Robert Snow/Red Bull Content Pool

    One of the year's great mysteries -- who will buy the Wu-Tang Clan's one-of-a-kind record? -- remains unsolved.

    Skrillex can afford a lot of nice things -- he made $15 million two years ago, according to Forbes -- from a nice home studio to a communal, techno-artistic downtown Los Angeles warehouse. But just because he can spend a lot of money on nice things doesn't mean he actually has, even if those nice things recently appeared in the music video for his song "F--- That" (which you can watch below).

    Despite recent rumors, Billboard has confirmed with Skrillex's team that the dance music wunderkind did not purchase the Wu-Tang Clan's cold, silver art piece. While the Wu-Tang's one-of-a-kind album, which features Cher on two songs, has been in a sort of limbo since being announced early this year, RZA told Billboard in April that the offers were coming in.

    Too bad - a Wu-Tang Skrillex collab would be off the hook.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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