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Last week, the saga of Martin Shrekli came to an apparent close when he was sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud. Shkreli’s penchant for douchebaggery made him one of the most hated people in America thanks in no small part to his decision to dramatically increase the price of a life-saving drug used in the treatment of AIDS (never a good look) in addition to his blatant disrespect of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Shkreli reportedly paid $2 million for the sole copy of the Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin— an album that has a backstory that’s almost absurd as its price tag. The Scam Artist Formerly Known As Pharma Bro showed off the album on one of the many live streams he used to try to understand what human interaction feels like, with other featuring snippets of songs believed to be from the record in the background of others.
Shrkeli eventually decided to sell the album on eBay and appeared to take a $1 million hit for doing so, but it was on the list of assets the government eventually seized prior to his sentencing. Based on standard procedure, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin will be put up for auction alongside the luxury cars and bitcoins that have been seized from drug dealers, but one person is looking to challenge the status quo.
A petition recently popped up urging the White House to release the album to the masses. It’s hoping to convince 100,000 people to sign using this legally flawed but optimistic reasoning:
Since the Justice Department can now take possession of the album in the judgement, they should release it for free as punishment to Shkreli and give it to it’s rightful owners: The American People.
Wu-Tang isn’t just for the children— it’s for everyone.