The Wu-Tang Killer Bees are swarming on the Pharma Bro — sort of — in a dope new track posted this week to Soundcloud.
On Friday, the Wu-Tang Clan dropped a new single, “Lessons Learn’d,” from the group’s upcoming album “The Saga Continues.” Featuring Wu-Tang heavyweight Inspectah Deck and frequent Wu-Tang guest rapper Redman, the song includes the line “my price hikin’ like the pills Martin Shkreli sell.”
The line refers to the now-imprisoned pharmaceutical investor who became derisively referred to as “Pharma Bro” after his company acquired the antiparasitic drug Daraprim, essential in the treatment of AIDS-related opportunistic illnesses, and raised its price by 5,000 percent in 2015.
Listen to the track below.
https://soundcloud.com/eone-music/wu-lesson-learnd
Shkreli’s name became linked to the Wu-Tang Clan after it became known that he was the owner of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” a one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album recorded in secret over several years, with only one copy ever published, on CD. The group auctioned off “Shaolin” in 2015 in a private auction which included a binding stipulation that the winning bidder cannot commercially exploit the record until 2103, though they are allowed to release the individual songs for free, or play the album at listening parties.
Shkreli’s purchased the record for $2 million, making it the most expensive work of music ever sold, just before his cruel business practices made him infamous. The news outraged music mans worldwide, and even Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah called him a “super villain” at the time. Shkreli provoked further scorn after he put the record up for sale on eBay.
Shkreli, convicted of securities fraud in August, was jailed september 12 while awaiting sentencing after his bail was revoked due to his online behavior, which included a Facebook post inciting people to grab a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair.
The kicker? the eBay bidding on his copy of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” ended on September 15, with a winning bid listed at $1.25 million. But it appears Shkreli might have been jailed before the sale could be finalized, and the actual ownership of the album is not currently known.