Pablo Torre Plays Wu-Tang Album for Method Man
The rare one-of-one Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin was recently played for Method Man.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Hip-Hop and Rap
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Pablo Torre featured the exclusive Wu-Tang Clan production Once Upon A Time In Shaolin during his program, Pablo Torre Finds Out. Torre partnered with the digital art collective pleasrDAO to play the rare record for rapper Method Man.
Why it matters
This rare broadcast provides Method Man and the public with access to a project that was long held in private collections. The album has historically remained largely unheard by the public due to its unique ownership history and limited release structure.
Martin Shkreli purchased the one-of-one album for $2 million in 2015, while current owner pleasrDAO acquired it for $4 million in 2021. Prior to this, the album was only accessible to the public via five-minute NFT snippets.
The players
Method Man
He is a prominent American rapper and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Pablo Torre
He is an American journalist and host of the media program Pablo Torre Finds Out.
pleasrDAO
It is a decentralized digital art collective that owns and manages various high-profile digital assets.
Martin Shkreli
He is a former pharmaceutical executive who was convicted of securities fraud.
The details
The album was seized by the United States federal government following the securities fraud conviction of Martin Shkreli. It has previously been played in Taiwan, England, and Tasmania before its recent appearance on Pablo Torre Finds Out.
Timeline
Martin Shkreli purchased the album for $2 million in 2015.
PleasrDAO purchased the album for $4 million in 2021.
Pablo Torre played the album for Method Man in October 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The broadcast highlights the ongoing shift in how exclusive music assets are managed and distributed by non-traditional collectors. This approach signals a move away from absolute exclusivity toward curated public access, contrasting with past ownership models.
Listeners can now experience audio from a project that was previously restricted to private owners or brief NFT clips. This event changes how the public can engage with the content of the album compared to its limited availability in recent years.
The takeaway
The event demonstrates how digital art collectives are changing the visibility of rare cultural artifacts. Fans should monitor future media appearances of the collective to see if more of the album will be shared publicly.
Further reading
Explore more artist news and musical releases in the Hip-Hop and Rap section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by HotNewHipHop.
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