Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals who is best known for price-gouging the drug Daraprim, came forward as the owner of the sole copy of rap group Wu Tang Clan's rare album "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin," Bloomberg reported. Shkreli, who was given the nickname "Pharma Bro" by the Internet, purchased the only physical copy of the double LP album for $2 million.
The sale of the album was finalized in May, as previously reported by HNGN. The record was produced by Tarik "Cilvaringz" Azzougarh and Wu Tang original member RZA over a six-year period and was meant to be a one-of-a-kind, artistic collector's item. The sale was completed via online auction site Paddle8 in May, and the buyer's identity remained a mystery until now.
Shkreli is an avid collector of music memorabilia, according to Bloomberg. The 32-year-old is the proud owner of a Visa card once owned by the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. He said he thought "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" would be a good addition to his collection. He was convinced to bid on the album by Paddle8 co-founder Alexander Gilkes, who said that Shkreli might have the chance to meet celebrities who would want a chance to listen to the rare record.
The "Pharma Bro" became notorious in September when his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals obtained rights to the drug Daraprim and raised the price from $13.50 per pill to $750, CNN reported. The drug is used to treat AIDS and cancer.
Once the "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" owner's identity was revealed, RZA released a statement to Bloomberg to clarify his views on Shkreli. "The sale of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was agreed upon in May, well before Martin Skhreli's [sic] business practices came to light," RZA wrote in an email statement. "We decided to give a significant portion of the proceeds to charity."
