RZA Legally Can’t Buy Back Wu-Tang Clan’s "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin"

Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin has essentially become Hip Hop folklore at this point. Purchased by infamous “pharma-bro” Martin Shkreli for $2 million in 2015, it’s become an obsession for many curious, hardcore Wu-Tang fans.

The album’s fate seemed sealed in Shkreli’s hands until he was convicted of securities fraud and $7.4 million worth of his assets were seized by the Feds earlier this month. In an interview with Rolling Stone, RZA admits the second he saw Shrkeli had put the album up for sale on eBay, he called his attorney to see if he could buy it back. Unfortunately for the Wu-Tang legend, he was told that was impossible.

“I’ve actually tried to get it back but the paperwork and the contract stops me from getting it back,” he said. “When [Shkreli] put it on eBay, the first thing I did was call my lawyer, and I was like, ‘Yo, let’s go.’ And they said, ‘All right, check with your contract.’ And it’s no, you can’t do it. Ain’t that a bitch?”

Once Upon A Time In ShaolinOnce Upon A Time In Shaolin

But RZA admits he didn’t really want to let it go in the first place.

“It was hard for me to sell that album because I wanted it to be on my living room table,” he said. “When it was finally completed and everything was sent out, I was like, ‘This would be great in the Wu mansion.’ Whoever comes by here can see this piece of art sitting in my living room. I argued with the people that invested money to get the project on its way, but they wanted [their investment] back.

“So it would’ve cost me more than the selling price in reality, because of the deficit that was already incurred. Also, everybody is like, ‘This ain’t for you. That’s even more selfish than selling it.’ They were talking to me to let that thing go.”

Elsewhere in the discussion, RZA also talked about the backlash he received for selling the rare project for such an exorbitant amount of money.

“I got a lot of flak from fans for that album,” he explained. “I’ve lost fans, because they think I’ve done something that was out of the nature of what Wu-Tang is. I think they’re wrong, but they will have their opinion, right? They felt that we tried to make music become something that only the elite can have, and that’s far from the reality. No, we just wanted to point out that when you devalue something, you got a big conflict over it.”

Once Upon A Time In Shaolin was part of the $7.4 million in assets Shkreli was forced to forfeit. Forbes recently reported the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York would determine the album’s future.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46384/title.rza-legally-cant-buy-back-wu-tang-clans-once-upon-a-time-in-shaolin

Nicki Minaj Pops Up In New Mercedes-Benz Ad

Nicki Minaj has been noticeably absent from spotlights, social media and front pages as of late, with her intended “classic album” and other intangibles being apparent catalysts.

But her multi-million-strong social media following was elated to see her partake in a bit of media, thanks to her new endorsement with Mercedes-Benz and TIDAL, which is promoting the new A-Class model.

“I don’t say hi, I say ‘keys to the Benz,’” her sponsored quote reads.

@mercedesbenz #AClass in partnership with @tidal  #TIDALXMercedesBenz #Sponsored

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Mar 29, 2018 at 5:41pm PDT

Since its introduction in 1997, the A-Class has been nicknamed “The Baby Benz.” The new model starts at around $38,700, based on the suggested retail price.

Another video can be found below.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46376/title.nicki-minaj-pops-up-in-new-mercedes-benz-ad

#HipHopAFilm Yields Interesting & Clever Results On Twitter

Twitterverse – Hashtag Roundup and Aloha Tags linked up on Twitter today for the hashtag game, #HipHopAFilm.

The end result revealed plenty of social media users proving how much they were up on their Hip Hop and film culture.

For anyone in the dark, think Wheel of Fortune’s “Before After” puzzle format and toss in the likes of rappers, Hip Hop song titles and famous movies.

Naturally, there was a ton of Eminem…

…plenty of notable Hip Hop Heavyweights…

…even some RB mentions…

…Tupac Biggie entries, of course…

…And Plenty of Old School!

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46380/title.hiphopafilm-yields-interesting-clever-results-on-twitter

Multiple Sources Confirm Sanaa Lathan Is Beyonce’s Biter Despite Denial

The mystery of #WhoBitBeyonce has reportedly been solved and now the zealous Beyhive can finally sleep at peace.

Page Six is confidently confirming from multiple sources the identity of the face gnawer is Sanaa Lathan. The incident was said to have occurred last December during JAY-Z’s D’Usse VIP party after his 4:44 Tour stop in Los Angeles.

“It was a big thing in the moment at the party, everyone was talking about how anyone would dare to do that,” one of the soiree’s attendees said.

Tiffany Haddish sent social media into a frenzy after her GQ interview revealed that an unnamed actress had the audacity to bite Beyoncé in the face.

“There was this actress there that’s just, like, doing the mostest,” Haddish told GQ (without saying names). She bit Beyoncé in the face.”

Social media sleuths immediately got #WhoBitBeyonce trending on Twitter, naming Lathan as the actress (and a few others) who Haddish described as doing the “mostest,” however the Love Basketball actress denied ever doing such a thing to the Grammy Award-winning vocalist.

“…if I did it would’ve beeb love bite,” she tweeted followed by kiss emoji.

Beyonce recently quipped on DJ Khaled’s single, “Top Off” how partygoers in her presence will have to sign a NDA — a practice Haddish recently admitted to exercising.

It appears Tiff has already worked the chin-biting incident into her comedy routine and furtively hints that the culprit used to date French Montana, according to Vulture.

Sanaa and French dated back in 2015.

(The original version of this article was published on March 26, 2018 and can be found below.)

Tiffany Haddish is dropping more gems about the party she was at last December where she saw Beyoncé check an actress who was flirting with JAY-Z.

“There was this actress there that’s just, like, doing the mostest,” Haddish told GQ (without providing the specifics of which actress it was). She bit Beyoncé in the face.”

Jay-Z after I told him Jaleel white is the only black man I know of to have his own Breakfast Cereal.?….. But for real I had fun #jayz show last night was everything!#thelastblackunicorn #SHEREADY #jayz

A post shared by Tiffany Haddish (@tiffanyhaddish) on Dec 22, 2017 at 12:24pm PST

Needless to say Bey was pissed and The Last Black Unicorn was ready to go to war over it.

“So Beyoncé stormed away,” Haddish continues. “Went up to JAY-Z, and was like, ‘JAY! Come here! This bitch—’ and snatched him. They went to the back of the room. I was like, ‘What just happened?’ And Beyoncé’s friend walked up and was like, ‘Can you believe this bitch just bit Beyoncé?’

“Near the end of the party Beyoncé’s at the bar, so I said to Beyoncé, ‘Did she really bite you?’ She was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘She gonna get her ass beat tonight.’ She was like, ‘Tiffany, no. Don’t do that. That bitch is on drugs. She not even drunk. The bitch is on drugs. She not like that all the time. Just chill.’”

Despite spilling details about the notoriously private couple, Haddish says she’s willing to sign the non-disclosure agreement Beyoncé sang about on DJ Khaled’s “Top Off” the next time they party.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46325/title.some-actress-reportedly-bit-beyonces-face-tiffany-haddish-has-all-the-tea

Lil Skies Cancels Remaining Tour Dates Due To "Unforeseen Health Issues"

Some unlucky fans who were anticipating a Lil Skies show will have to wait. On Friday (March 30), Skies took to Twitter to announce he was pulling the plug on the remaining dates of The Life Of The Dark Rose Tour, citing “unforeseen health issues.”

“I am unable to complete The Life Of The Dark Rose Tour,” he wrote. “I want to thank all my fans and supporters who have stuck by my side from the beginning. It’s my hope and prayer to get well soon so that I can continue to give you guys the show that you deserve. As much as it saddens me to do this, I know it’s in the best interest of my health and my future.”

He ended with, “See you soon.”

A rep from Warner Music Group told HipHopDX, “He’s been sick for the last few shows. Kid left it all on the stage.”

Skies was expected to play in Atlanta on Friday night at the Center Stage Theater, and then travel to New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Memphis and Baltimore where he would have wrapped up the tour.

He’s also scheduled to appear at The Smokers Club festival in Long Beach on April 28 and April 29 but it’s unclear if he’ll make those dates.

The Pennsylvania-bred rapper released his latest project, The Life Of The Dark Rose, this past January. 

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46377/title.lil-skies-cancels-remaining-tour-dates-due-to-unforeseen-health-issues