Subscribe

* indicates required
Okayplayer News

To continue reading

Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Martin Shkreli Says He Bought Lil Wayne's 'Carter V' Through "A Legal Sale"

Controversial HIV Drug CEO Martin Shkreli Arrested By The FBI

Martin Shkreli

Martin Shkreli made headlines this month when he revealed that he acquired Lil Wayne's delayed The Carter V, and now he explains how he got his copy.

Shkreli told DJ Akademiks said an unnamed seller who he assumed was a hacker reached out to offer him the album.

“I do have what I believe to be a two-CD, authentic, Carter V final product mixed down,” Shkreli said. “Nobody knows what Tha Carter V is. In fact, nobody can say until Lil Wayne says, ‘This is Tha Carter V. He’s controlling it. If he says, ‘You know what? That two-CD thing that Martin has? I’m gonna add some stuff. I’m gonna take a track off and put in five more.’ If he says that’s Tha Carter V, then that’s Tha Carter V. It’s his call.”

Shkreli also said that he believes the transaction was perfectly legal, despite the seller not being in Lil Wayne's camp.

“I believe that the sale is legal. Criminal law? Forget it," he said. "But [in terms of] civil law, I don’t believe that Lil Wayne could sue me. I don’t believe Birdman can sue me. I don’t think Universal could sue me. It’s a legal sale.”

Tha Carter V was scheduled to be drop in December 2014, but Wayne said that Cash Money Records boss Birdman refused to release it. Since then they have been involved in a legal battle, with Wayne suing Cash Money for $51 million.

Shkreli was known in the business world, but he became infamous in 2015, when he took over as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals and raised the prices of an AIDS-fighting drug called Daraprim from $13.50 to $750. He infuriated rap fans when he submitted the winning bid for Wu-Tang Clan's single-copy album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. He also attempted to buy Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo, announced plans to bail Bobby Shmurda out of jail, and dissed Ghostface Killah on video.

Watch Shkreli's nearly two-hour interview with DJ Akademiks below.