That album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, isn’t just rare—it’s a philosophical middle finger to the digital age. A deliberate protest against the commodification of music in the Spotify era. Art, the Clan argued, had lost its value in an economy of infinite supply. So they gave it back scarcity. Real scarcity. And in doing so, created one of the most infamous collectibles in modern history.
Its next chapters read like something out of an art-world noir. In 2015, the album sold for $2 million to none other than Martin Shkreli—the pharma villain best known for jacking up the price of a life-saving drug. He taunted fans, threatened to destroy the record, and even listed it on eBay (where bids passed $1 million before the listing disappeared). When the FBI seized his assets following his conviction for securities fraud, the album was boxed up once again—this time by the U.S. government.
Then in 2021, it resurfaced in a headline twist: crypto art collective PleasrDAO scooped it up for a reported $4 million. Still under strict contractual terms that prevent commercial release until 2103, the album remains unheard by the public. Which, depending on your view of art, either heightens its mystique—or locks away its soul.
But here’s something most people don’t know: for a stretch of this wild journey, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was insured through WAX. Protected quietly, but confidently, on the same platform where thousands of collectors trust us to cover everything from Patek Philippes to political manuscripts. It’s not every day you get to underwrite one of the most controversial objects in hip-hop history.
We’re proud to have protected one of the most legendary artifacts in music history. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin isn’t just rare—it’s irreplaceable. At WAX, we don’t just insure things. We insure culture.
From an insurance standpoint, assets like this aren’t straightforward. You’re not just pricing rarity. You’re accounting for mythology, legal limitations, and public interest. When WAX clients bring us items like this, we do more than issue a quote—we help preserve narrative equity.
