Sundance movie review: 'Disciple' elaborates Wu-Tang Clan controversy

The Disciple, which premiered Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival, is a fascinating look at a unique chapter in music history. The release of Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin made headlines in 2015 but there was more to the story.

Tarik Azzougarh idolized the Wu-Tang Clan and became the rapper Cilvaringz. He got a chance to rap with them on stage after they pulled him up from the crowd at a concert.

Then he discovered Shabbazz the Disciple's phone number listed on his 12" vinyl single and got in touch. This led to real collaborations as Shabbazz was already in with the Clan. Cilvaringz toured with Wu-Tang as an opening act.

With Napster and eventually streaming music hurting album sales, Cilvaringsz had the idea to treat an album like a piece of art. Make only one copy and sell it to a collector.

The documentary details exactly how this would work. The contract had an 88-year commercial exclusivity clause so the buyer couldn't make copies, though they even had a backdoor plan to leak the album if nobody bought it.

A silversmith designed the case to be commensurate with the rare album. Logistics of shipping the case to the New York auction, computer hiccups and even RZA travel snafus were all factors.

Rappers Shabbaz and Cappadonna speak in interviews. RZA is only heard in existing soundbites but he executive produced the documentary. In between interviews, montages are edited to Wu-Tang beats to maintain the same energy.

Method Man spoke out against Cilvaringsz in the press, calling the single pressing a gimmick, and other members were not happy about being roped into collaborating under what they considered to be false pretenses.

It made news when pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkrlli bought the album in 2015. Cilvaringz and the Clan were extremely disappointed to learn Shkrelli raised the price of Daraprim to over $700.

Attempts were made to back out but the contract was tight. But, the film also follows the sequence of ownership after Shkreilli's conviction.

There are enough technicalities to further illuminate the story for even the most savvy Wu-Tang fan. Through the voices of Cilvaringz, the Clan and collaborators, it highlights the Clan's admirable artistic integrity and daring to attempt something so audacious.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.